


Worlds Collide

by Cowboysandindians



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- No Supernatural, Angst, Detective Nicole, Different Worlds, Doctor Waverly, F/F, First Meetings, Fluff, Hurt, Jealous Waverly, Secretive Wynonna, Slight Violence, Smut in chapters 14&15&19&25, Where’s Wynonna?, a tiny amount of angry smut. Whoops., wayhaught endgame.
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-08
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-07-28 04:05:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 28
Words: 98,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16233863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cowboysandindians/pseuds/Cowboysandindians
Summary: Detective Nicole Haught and Dr. Waverly Earp meet and spark up a connection. They are living on cloud nine, but how will they manage when their opposing worlds eventually collide? Can Nicole and Waverly survive or will their differences be too much?*Update: it seems I may have made a mistake with the relationship tags earlier. Just to be clear the only romantic relationship here is Nicole and Waverly.*





	1. Chapter One: A First Encounter.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Everyone! So I’ve had this story in my mind for a while but I’ve never actually written anything so I couldn’t decide if I wanted to give this a shot. I was out of my element here so to be honest I have no idea if this is even any good. I’m totally open to constructive criticism or any tips you may have. I do know how this story will play out, I’m just working on how to put it all together into something that people want to read and something that is enjoyable to read. The story will switch POVs because I’ve found it easier to write that way. I tend to find dialogue to be the hardest part to write. I will be uploading two chapters today. Here is chapter one. Waverly’s POV.

Patient bed five, here’s the chart” the nurse exacerbated as she tossed the chart onto the counter with a thud, startling the pair of young doctors in the process. 

“Uhh, not another one.” Jeremy sighed as he dramatically plopped his head down onto the counter the pair were propped up by. ”It has been relentless today. I swear this shift will never end” 

“Well what did you expect when you chose this career? A steady 8 to 5?” Waverly poked fun at Jeremy as she slowly slid the chart over to where he was currently trying to bury his head into his arms hoping to indicate that she has no intentions of taking this patient. 

Jeremy lifted his head slightly and peaked over at Waverly trying but failing miserably to subtly push the patient over his way.

“Oh no. No, no, no. I took the last one” Jeremy pushed the chart back over to where Waverly was standing. 

“And I covered your extra long lunch” Waverly rebutted while putting her hand on top of the metal chart with a clank and returning the chart to Jeremy with a quick slide of the hand. 

“Oh like I’ve never covered your breaks before, Waves.” Jeremy said while copying waverly’s motions and pushing the chart back towards Waverly’s direction, albeit too hard as Waverly missed the chart, her hand landing on the counter and the chart landing on the tile floor of the ER with a bit of a clatter. The ruckus catching the attention of the nurse that was standing nearby. Well the attention of anyone that was standing nearby with how loud the material sounded upon meeting. 

Sighing the nurse made her way over the course of the ruckus. “Listen, I do not care who takes it but someone better pick that chart up and go attend to that patient. Or do I need to page a more capable doctor?” 

“Nope we’ve got it”  
“Ah, come on, no need for that.” 

Both doctors squeaked as Waverly scurred over to retrieve the chart from the floor and Jeremy stood waving off the nurse from calling their boss. 

“Well thank goodness for that.” murmured the nurse under her breath as she retreated back to the nurses station. 

Waverly stood with the chart in hand as her and Jeremy had a silent debate on who would attend to the patient. Both doctors exhausted and in need of a serious break. 

“The patient isn’t going to heal themselves doctors” the nurse yelled from her station as she stared pointedly at the young doctors. 

Waverly held her hands up in surrender to the nurse because she definitely did not want her to page a higher up and quite frankly she was a bit scared by the look she and Jeremy were receiving from the nurse. 

“Ok jeez, I guess I will take it.”

“Thanks Waves, you’re the best” Jeremy said as he seemed to meraciously find some of the energy he was depleted of moments before, practically bouncing up and down with the prospect of not having to treat another patient at the moment. 

“Oh I know Jer, I know. You owe me one though and I will be cashing that in in the form of a mid afternoon coffee.”

“Yes, now that I can do. Two creams, one sugar?” 

Waverly gave Jeremy’s hand a light squeeze before he began to the retreat towards the hospital cafeteria.

“You know me so well. Thanks Jer” she called after him. 

“No problem, I’ll have it waiting for you in the break room when you get done. Have fun!”

Waverly rolled her as at her coworker’s sarcastic comment. Sure, she’d have loads of fun. After being on her feet for practically an entire 12 hours the one thing she would love is to stand on her feet for a few more. Delightful. 

With a deep breath and a moment of collection, Waverly turned on her heels and began making her way over to bed five to attend to the waiting patient while reading over the chart. Luckily for her she noted that the patient was only dealing with a possible broken nose so nothing that would be too terribly time consuming and she would be sipping on some hot midday pick me up soon enough. She needed it after the day she had had, 20 patients before the mid point of her shift was truly brutal and while she loved her job and loved treating patients, a girl could only take some much. Seriously after a certain amount of hours and certainly a few unruly patients one truly begins to question their own sanity. As she approached bed five she glanced back down at the chart to gather the patient’s name, noting the unfamiliarity of it before pushing back the curtain. 

“Mr. Haught, I see you have gotten yourself into a bit of a situation. Let’s see what we can do about that now shall we?” Waverly quipped, walking towards the bed with her head in the chart before looking up and coming to an abrupt stop at the sight in front of her which at this point had made her completely forget where she was, or basic human functions like breathing for that matter. 

The first thing she catches a glimpse of is red, bright red before focusing in on the figure plopped up onto the bed. Bright red hair, beautiful bright red hair at that. Probably the most vibrant color she had seen. She suddenly had the urge to run her fingers through the fiery locks before breaking her gaze and looking anywhere but at the vibrant red in front of her as she tried to gather control of her wondering thoughts. Still mesmerized, Waverly’s attention drifted to the pair of dimples that sat above a tight, sharp jaw. She found herself enamored by the grin, wanting to know the things that would prompt this reaction more often. From there she glanced at the pair of lips that accompanied the grin, noting how soft they looked. Waverly, lost in daydream, thought about ways she could test to see if her theory was correct. After some time she realized that those lips she had been staring at for god only knows how long had actually been moving and the owner of all these features that had her so intrigued had been talking to her the entire. She quickly tried to gather herself as she cleared her throat and stumbled back a bit. 

“Oh my, pardon me.” Waverly panicked. How long had she just been staring at this woman like she was a circus attraction? “What were you saying, I uh, I did not quite hear that. Sometimes I have trouble hearing, not that I have a hearing problem or anything like that. Nope, perfect bill of health. Unlike you I guess or you would not have to be here right?” Waverly nervously chuckled before realizing what she had said and going wide-eyed. “Um I-I am sorry that was really insensitive, it’s just that sometimes when I get nervous I ramble. Not-not that you make me nervous or anything like that. I just-” 

Waverly was cut off by the patient that was sat in front of her.

“ Hey woah, slow down. It is alright, it’s cool.” The redhead chuckled as she gave a flustered Waverly a full dimpled smile relaxing the young doctor a bit. “I was just saying that Mr. Haught is my father, you can just call me Nicole.” 

Waverly covered her face at the blunder she had made. She was so stuck in the involuntarily trance the other woman had evoke from her that she hadn’t actually taken in the woman’s full appearance. She took note of the woman’s full appearance now, seeing that the bright red hair that first caught her eye fell in curls just past the woman’s taunt jaw. She also noticed the long legs of the redhead perched on the table and figured she must be tall. Much taller than Waverly at least. She took in the woman’s pale complexion as she eyeballed the muscular arms that were holding the ice to her nose. Waverly knew she was staring, but she couldn’t pull herself away. Not that that was much of her fault. Anyone would get distracted by the beautiful woman that perched upon the table in front of her. Okay focus Waverly, focus. 

“I apologize for that Ms.Hau- Nicole” Waverly stammered, correcting herself as she took in the playful glare coming from the redhead. 

“Not big deal. So doctor...?” Nicole inquired. 

“Doctor Earp, Waverly Earp. However you can call me Waverly, or Dr. Waverly. I mean you can call me Dr. Earp if you prefer that.” Waverly nervously rambled as she mentally chastised herself. It was like word vomit, she just could not stop. 

“Waverly. Doctor Waverly. That is a beautiful name.” Nicole remarked with a dimpled smile. “So Dr. Waverly Earp,what’s the prognosis. Do you think i’m going to make it?”

Waverly looked down at the smiling patient below her and she could feel the blush creeping up her chest at the use of her full name. 

“Well Nicole I do not think you sustained any life threatening injuries, but let me take a closer look so I can provide a more definitive answer. How’s that sound?” Waverly quipped as took Nicole’s chin in her hand and raised her face slightly up so she could better examine the redhead’s increasingly swelled nose. As she looked down at the other woman she found herself captivated by warm, brown irises that were intently eye locked with her own, holding them for a moment before shaking her head and quickly drawing her attention back to the task at hand. She ran her finger down the bridge of the other woman’s nose withdrawing a slight wince from the patient and a slight shiver from her own body before meeting the woman’s eyes once more. She felt like the patient had her eyes in a grip lock as she bore down into her warm gaze, she knew she needed to pay attention to what she was doing but the redhead’s insistent stare almost seemed like it wouldn’t let her go. 

Finally taking note of the closeness between herself and the woman, which at that point was not much at all since Waverly had managed to work herself to stand between the perched woman’s thighs as she looked after her nose. Waverly looked down at the small amount of space between her body and the patient’s legs before quickly taking a few steps back, working to relax her fast beating heart. 

“Uh-well.. okay.. so the good news it seems is that I do not think it is broken.” Waverly reported while noting her findings in the patient’s chart. “But the bad news is that you will have to have an X-Ray done just to be sure.”

“I guess it could be worse, huh?” Nicole remarked cocking her head to the side. 

Glancing up from her writings Waverly noted the disheveled appearance of the other woman and wondered to how the patient got herself into such a predicament. 

“So, if you do not mind me asking, how does one such as yourself end up in the ER with a possible broken nose in the middle of the afternoon on a Tuesday?”

Lifting her eyes to meet Waverly’s again, Nicole replies “Let’s just say that my line of work is a tad bit unpredictable, but I am sure you know all about that Dr. Waverly Earp.”

Waverly felt that same creeping blush return as she watched her full name come out of Nicole’s mouth again, noticing this time just how much she liked the sound as the other woman said it. 

“Oh yes, I very well do. I know all about that. You know, doctor and all. No one day is ever the same ya know? But I love it soo” Waverly blurred out, stopping herself before a full blown ramble. “Tell me Nicole, what is it that you do though that would be this,” she gestured at Nicole’s body with her hands ,”unpredictable?” 

Waverly watched intently as Nicole chuckled a bit, hoping to hear more of the sweet sound coming from the bed in front of her. 

“I’m a cop,” Nicole smiled. “Well, technically I am a detective but tomato, potato amiright?”

Waverly took in this information while noting that she was not in a cop’s typical attire, not that she was much surprised by the female detective. She wondered if Nicole ever did wear a typical police uniform or if she had to wear formal dress as a detective did on crime shows. Either way she assumed the redhead looked great, great in anything really. She would love to see the redhead in either uniform or just normal clothes, technically she would not be opposed to the detective not having clothes at all. If her arms are any indication of her physical stature then Waverly had to assume that the woman had taunt muscles elsewhere as well. 

Waverly was shook from her pining when she heard the detective clear her throat. 

“Or maybe you don’t know what I mean?” Nicole nervously joked, not noticing the blatant objectification she was receiving from the young doctor. 

Waverly gave out a nervous chuckle. “No, I do not think I know what that means.” thanking the heavens for the detectives obliviousness.”That must get dangerous though, definitely explains the timing here.” she gestured with her hands. 

“Yeah, I guess so. I mean this is my second time here this month so it can get pretty dangerous but like you said, I love it.” Nicole replied while gazing at the floor. “I won’t even need to ask for directions to the radiology department. I’ve got it stored right up here.” Nicole said as she taped her head with her forefinger. 

“Wow, impressive. I mean I know police work is a dangerous job but twice in one month? We should give you a punch card.” 

Waverly watched intently as the redhead began to laugh. There was that angelic sound again. Waverly stared at the redhead as Nicole brought her head up from the floor as she slowly raked her eyes over Waverly’s body, prompting a heat to rise up the young doctor’s body that followed the eye line of the redhead that was returning her objectification from moments before. Eventually the detective’s eyes locked with hers, staying like that for a moment before Waverly watched Nicole’s lips turn up in a smirk. 

“Well Dr. Waverly Earp, what can I say? I like to get into trouble.”

If Waverly thought her body was heating before it was practically boiling at the redhead’s flirtation. She was flirting right? Trying to hide the creeping blush that had decidedly made its way up the entire length of Waverly’s body, she broke from Nicole’s fiery gaze and pretended to look over her chart instead. 

“Th-that, uh, that seems to be the case doesn’t it detective?” Waverly stuttered. 

“I mean Dr. Earp now that I know you work here, I’ll try to schedule my reckless stunts around your work schedule because this has been hands down the best ER visit I’ve ever experienced.” Nicole smirked. “In fact, why don’t you let me take you out to dinner sometime and we can discuss work schedule? You know, for future shenanigans of course.” 

This remark caused Waverly’s heart to flutter in her chest. Ok, she was definitely flirting. Taken aback a bit by the detectives bolstering confidence Waverly struggled to conjure up an answer. However she was an Earp. Earp’s don’t shy away from anything, or anyone in this case. 

“How very toward of you detective.” Waverly rebutted with as much fake confidence as she could muster at the moment. 

Nicole gave a slight chuckle before throwing on a more serious face and looking up at Waverly. 

“What can I say doctor..when I see something I want, I don’t want to wait” 

Waverly fumbled with the chart in her hands, nearly dropping it as she nervously giggled at the redhead. She was definitely losing this game of witty banter her false confidence no match for the real thing. 

“Yes well, they do say patience is a virtue.” Waverly replied as she saw the redhead’s face faulter for a moment. Oh no, she thinks I’m turning her down. “But, not in all cases I guess. I’d like to take you up on that offer, the one for dinner I mean. I can bring a copy of my schedule and everything. You know, just to be prepared. I am a planner after all which makes this a perfect pair. Not-not that we’re a pair or anything like that. Oh, not that I’d be opposed to something like that I mean you are very attractive and you’re asking me out on a date so I’d be total-“ Waverly stopped herself as she bounced around from embarrassment. “Sorry, I think it’s best if I just stop talking now actually” 

Nicole let out a breathy laugh as she stood up and walked towards the doctor before taking her hand in hers. 

“Don’t apologize. I was in fact asking you on a date and I’m glad you picked up on that when you agreed.” Nicole beamed. “Please, feel free to bring your schedule.” 

Shaking the detective’s hand before breaking away, waverly retrieved a pen from her coat pocket before taking the detective’s hand once more and scribbling her number on the top. 

“I look forward to your call Detective Haught.” Waverly said as she dropped their hands, dangling them between their bodies for a moment, slowly running her finger up the palm of the other woman before regretfully dropping the detective’s hand, leaving a blushing Nicole standing before her. 

Nicole offered up one final dimpled grin before beginning to make her way across the ER towards the radiology department. Waverly let her eyes linger upon Nicole’s retreated form. Unabashingly drinking her in for fully. That is until Nicole abruptly stopped and turned around, meeting Waverly’s eyes as she tried to play off the fact she may or may not have been just staring at the detective's ass. 

“Oh and Dr. Earp, for what it is worth, I think the rambling is extremely cute.”

And with that Nicole turned and disappeared down the hall leaving an extremely flustered Waverly Earp in her wake. 

Waverly wasn’t fully sure of what had just happened but she had learned not to question a good thing. 

“Thank God Jeremy didn’t take this one” she mummered as she skipped towards the break room.


	2. Chapter Two: A Missed Call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here is Chapter Two. This chapter is from Nicole’s POV. I am writing chapter three which is the date. If I get done today I’ll post it as well.

To say that Nicole’s day had not gone as originally expected would be an understatement. Nicole had expected to follow the usual morning routine she had when she found herself working a midday shift. She had expected to workout and wash some clothes before she went to grab a bite to eat in town. Actually Nicole’s morning had been going exactly how she expected until she walked into Shorty’s for her usual burger and fries. It wasn’t until then that her morning plans proceeded to go haywire. Somehow she found herself at the bruising end of a unexpected haywire punch from a drunk patron engaged in a midday bar fight. This had landed Nicole at the ER where she expected to be treated by the same squirrelly boy who had treated her a few weeks prior when she found herself in the same position. However Nicole’s most unexpected surprise of the day was the one to push back the curtain. 

As Nicole strolled into the Purgatory Sheriff’s department she thought back to the stomach plummeting moment of the roller coaster that was her morning, meeting one Dr. Waverly Earp. From the moment the doctor had pushed the curtain back to reveal herself Nicole had not been able to bring her stomach back down out of her throat. All the detective had been able to think about was the petite frame and long flowing brunette locks of the doctor. All she had been able to think about was the cute way the doctor had fumbled her way through the exam and the spark that she had ignited in Nicole when her hand lingered in hers. All she had been able to think about since this morning was the enigma that was Dr. Waverly Earp. 

“Haught?” Dolls questioned. “Did you manage to get a concussion to go along with that broken nose?” 

Nicole, jolted out of her daydream about the young doctor, found herself standing at the front of the bullpen of the Purgatory’s Sheriff’s Department. 

“No sorry, just zoned out. And for your information my nose isn’t broken either.” 

Nicole retorted as she made her way over to her desk that was located behind Dolls, flopping down in her desk chair and propping her feet up on her desk. 

Dolls turned in his chair to face Nicole, giving her a knowing stare. Nicole sighed before removing her feet and placing them back down onto the floor. 

“So tell me Haught, what possessed you to jump into a bar fight before you even started your shift? You know this makes like the fifth time you’ve been in the ER since we’ve gotten to Purgatory. This town isn’t even big enough for the amount of trouble you have managed to find in it.” 

“What can I say boss? I was just performing my civic duty.” Nicole said with a knowing smirk as Dolls rolled his eyes and turned back around to face his desk. Nicole knows that Dolls hates it when she refers to him in that way, her boss. Technically Dolls was her superior but only due to the fact that herself and the marshall were the only two members of the National Gang Task Force still stationed in Purgatory. When the NGTF had first sent officers down to Purgatory a few months ago, Dolls and Nicole were paired as partners in the investigation. The pair quickly formed something more of a friendship in their short time so when the NGTF had decided to pull the unit out of Purgatory to go deal with more pressing matters, the detective and Marshall had pushed to stay on and continue the investigation. The marshall had expressed that he felt a lengthier investigation would lead them to something much bigger than just small town results and the detective had agreed so the NGTF had agreed to let the pair stay on leaving the highest ranked officer in charge, Marshall Dolls. 

“You know I hate that Haught.” Dolls said as he stifled through his desk drawers before turning back around to face Nicole. 

“I know, that’s why I always say it.” Nicole replied with a breathy laugh as she sat back in her chair, putting her hands behind her head. 

“Have you always been like this Haught?” Dolls replied as he shook his head at the sight of the smirking detective. 

“Like what boss?” Nicole replied, rocking back and forth in her desk chair. 

“Someone who just had to stir up trouble?” Dolls retorted. 

“Hey now, I wasn’t stirring up trouble boss. I was simply helping my fellow patron break up a squabble between two of Purgatory’s finest.” The detective said, shrugging her shoulders, pretending she didn’t know what the Marshall was referring to. 

Dolls crinkled his brow and ran his hand over his forehead before he peered back over at the younger officers, taking notice of the ink that doned her hand. 

“Well, well. Speaking of trouble, what is it we have there?” Dolls replied as he pointed towards the redhead’s hand. 

The detective looked at Dolls quizzically for a moment before following his line of sight and noticing what he was referring to. 

“Oh-uh. It’s nothing.” Nicole stammered, trying to hide her hand in the process. “Just something I have to remember for later.” 

“Uh-huh, sure it is.” Dolls gave her a knowing look. “Are you actually going to call this one?” 

“What’s that suppose to me?” 

“Oh you know what it means. We’ve been here what? six months and I’ve seen you get plenty of numbers during that time but never once have I seen you actually call any of the women at the other end.” Dolls replied. 

Nicole scoffed at the marshall’s accusation, rolling her eyes at him. Dolls was right though. In the six months that the pair had been stationed in Purgatory they had gone out on the town together many times, each time resulting in the redhead getting at least a phone number or two. Despite the influx of willing participants Nicole had yet to actually call any of the women after spending a flirty evening with them at the local bars. She just did not find herself interested enough in any of the women to push it any further, especially since she didn’t really know how long the pair would be in Purgetory. Well that was until today. She would be lying if she said she wasn’t completely enamored by Waverly and she definitely planned to find out more about her. 

“Well,” Nicole stuttered our as she stared down the marshall in front of her, “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Dolls leaned back in his chair as he let out a bellowing laugh. “Yeah, whatever you say Detective .” He began to turn back around to his desk before the redhead began to fish her phone out of her pocket. 

“Ok then smartass, watch this.” Nicole replied, becoming agitated by the other officers. She unlocked her phone and pulled up the screen to dial the number that was written on her hand, typing each number with a little umph as she did. She pressed the dial button and she sat back in her chair as she brought the phone to her ear, listening to the ringing coming from the device. 

Ring, ring, ring. 

Now that the quick moment was over, Nicole realized what it exactly was that she was doing and her heartbeat began to race. 

Ring, ring, ring. 

She just met this woman a few hours before. Why was she calling her now? It was way too soon to be calling her now. Nicole began to sweat and feel a bit clammy at the prospect of the young doctor thinking she was weird for calling so soon. 

Ring, ring, ring. 

“You okay their Detective?” Dolls smirked as he took in the nervous officer. 

Ring, ring, ring. 

Nicole held her middle finger up to the other officer, Dolls trying to cover his laugh with his hand in return. 

Nicole heard a soft click on the other end which drew her full attention to the phone. 

You have reached the voicemail of Dr. Waverly Earp. I am unavailable to take your call right now but if you will leave me a short message, or not if you don’t like, I will try to get back to you at the earliest convenience. Thank yo-Oh wait, leave your number too. I’ll need that to call you back. Uh-than-thank you. 

Nicole smiled into the phone as she listened to the bubbly doctor ramble on her the other end of the line. She couldn’t get enough of the rambling mess the doctor seemed to turn into at times. As she zoned out picturing the doctor sitting on her couch trying to record the voicemail message, she almost missed the ping that indicates it was time for her to start talking. 

Due to the impromptu call she was making to the young doctor she found herself completely unprepared for what she was suppose to say on the voicemail. Realizing that the long she sat in silence as the voicemail records the weirder it would be the flustered detective finally began to talk. 

“Uh-hi.. yes this is Nicole, Nicole Haught. Well Detective Haught. I don’t know if you remember me but we met in the ER. You were my doctor, I was the detective that came in with the broken nose. Red hair, tall. I’m sure you remember me, it was only a few hours ago,” Nicole fumbled through the voicemail as she sent a steering glare towards Dolls who was doubled over in laughter at his desk. “Well I calling you to…to-uh… to let you know my nose isn’t broken after all so I guess you hit that prognosis right on the nose, huh?” Nicole cringed at the lame joke as she tried to collect herself. “Uh-sorry that was lame. Anyway I was uh- I was wondering if you were still interested in that date we talked about earlier. If so I’d love to take you out. I’m off tomorrow afternoon so I’d be free to pick you up around, let’s say 7pm tomorrow? You know if you’re off work as well. I’m not sure if you are, I’d have to see that schedule you mentioned to know that.” Nicole nervously chuckled into the phone. 

You have thirty seconds remaining. 

The automated voicemail system signaled, reminding Nicole she had been rambling on the Waverly’s voicemail for at least a few minutes. 

“Uh- yeah so just give me a call back if you’d like. I-I look forward to seeing you or I guess not seeing you if you don’t want.” 

You have ten seconds remaining. 

“Oh-oh yeah my number, 678-233-5621.” And with that the voicemail automatically ends and cuts off. Nicole sits in silence for a few minutes, unable to function as she finds herself mortified by what just happened. Not only had she called this woman she just met only hours after their first meeting but she had also managed to left her a five minute voicemail in the process. Waverly was going to think she was crazy. 

Nicole tossed her phone onto the wooden surfaces of the desk as she did the same with her head. She loudly groaned as she covered her arms around her head in hopes to relieve some of the embarrassment she felt from what just happened. So much for the confident persona she had put on for the young Doctor. 

Her ears perked as she heard the loud cackling coming from the desk in front her of. She looks up to see Dolls crying in laughter at his desk, barely able to catch his breath. 

“Tha-th…. that has got to be the funniest thing I’ve ever seen,” Dolls managed to muster out between spurts of laughter. “Uh-oh my god,” Dolls says, wiping his eyes with his hands. “That’s the best thing I’ve seen all week. I can’t believe you just did that.” 

Nicole turned red as the other officer poked fun at her ridiculousness. She picked up her pen and tossed it at the Marshall in front of her, barely missing his head. 

“Hey, don’t be mad at me Haught. At least I actually got you to call the girl.” Dolls said as he watched the pen zoom by his head. He stands and begins to gather his belongings. “Whew, now that the entertainment is over, I guess I should be getting to work. I do have an investigation to run after all.” 

Nicole stood as she began to gather her coat from the back of the chair. She turned with her coat in hand to begin following Dolls when she saw the Marshall staring at her expectingly. 

“Uh, what do you think you’re doing Haught?” 

“You said we had an investigation to run.” Nicole looked at the other officer dumbfounded. 

“No, I believe that I said I had an investigation to run. You have an incident report to fill out from your little civic duty escapade from earlier” dolls slapped the folder he was holding onto the chest of the other officer as he walked by her and out the door of the bullpen. 

“Ugh, this couldn’t get any worse.” Nicole muttered as she swung around her desk and plopped herself back down into her chair. She flipped open the folder and pulled out a blank incident report. She had just began filling out the report when she heard her phone ping. Retrieving the phone from the corner of her desk she stared down at it finding a number she didn’t recognize. She unlocks her phone and begins reading the message. 

Nicole, it’s Waverly:) Sorry for missing your call earlier I was with a patient. I was going to call back but I do not have much time so I figured a text would work. To answer your question I am off tomorrow and I would love to go out on a date with you. I’ll pin you my address

Nicole stared down at her phone, her heart fluttering in her chest with each passing word. She heard another ping and then another as she received two more messages from the number. 

I’ve pinned my address to the previous message. I can’t wait:) I’ll see you tomorrow Detective. Oh, and your joke made me giggle. You’re too cute. 

Nicole blushes at the last part of the message, shutting off her phone and laying it back down on the desk. She laid her head back resting her neck on the back of her chair, she stared up at the ceiling. A goofy grin on her face at the prospect of being out on a date with the beautiful doctor this time tomorrow. How she pulled that off she wasn’t sure. Nicole closed her eyes for a moment as she soaked in the feeling of bliss before she bolted upright in her chair wide eyed. Oh no, she had less than 24 hours to plan an entire date for Waverly Earp.


	3. Chapter 3: First Date-Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last update for the day. I split the date into two parts since it was getting a bit wordy and I wanted to put out a third chapter today. The date part two will be uploaded tomorrow. I hope you guys are enjoying reading the story as much as I am enjoying writing it! Comments are always welcome.
> 
> Waverly’s POV

Waverly was down on her knees waist deep in her closet when she heard the familiar muffled ringing of her cell phone. She began to shuffle around the destroyed room looking for the ringing device, tossing all the clothes she had dug out of the closet off the bed until she found her cell phone under a pair of jeans. Peering down at her phone she saw the familiar face of her best friend Jeremy. She answered the phone, pressing the speaker button before she tossed it back down onto the bed. 

“Hello” Waverly greeted with huff. 

“Woah, Waves, that doesn’t sound like someone who is about to go out on a date with a hot bodied redhead.” 

Waverly flopped down onto the bed and stared back up at the ceiling. 

“If I don’t find an outfit in the next,” Waverly sat up on her elbow and checked the time on her phone, “30 minutes then I won’t be someone going out on a date with a hot bodied redhead.” 

“Waves, I’ve seen your closet. I’ve helped you shop for half the clothes in your closet. I know you’ve got plenty of appropriate outfits. Plus you’re hot, if you’re into that sort of thing. Just throw something on. You’ll look great, and she’ll love it.” 

Waverly sat up on her bed, looking around at the closet that now sat scattered around her room. “Jeremy I haven’t been out on a date since the beginning of our residency almost a year ago. I don’t even know if I know how to do this anymore.” 

“Waves, do you like this girl?” Jeremy asked through the phone. 

Waverly smiled to herself at the question. She did like the girl. In fact she really liked the girl. Despite just meeting her a day ago she found herself thinking about the girl nonstop. She had been a bundle of nerves for the past 24 hours. At first she thought it was because of the anticipation she felt about the prospect of going out on a date for the first time in almost a year but she had a feeling it was truly because of who would be taking her on this date. 

“Yes Jeremy, I like this girl.”

“Then it's not going to matter what you wear. Put on something that makes you feel sexy and go show this girl who Waverly Earp is.” 

Waverly blushed at the endearment her friend gave her. Jeremy was right. She was Waverly Earp. She had faced scarier situations than a first date with a red headed detective. 

“You’re right Jer. Thank you. I’ll call you after it’s over.” 

“Of course I’m right Waves. Go have fun. Hopefully you’re not calling me until tomorrow morning though, if you know what I mean” Jeremy joked into the phone. 

“Oh my God Jeremy. Goodbyeeeee.” 

Waverly said, ending the call and turning back to look at the mountain of clothes she had created. 

Taking a deep breath, the girl girl began tossing clothes off the pile looking for the perfect outfit. 

“28 minutes Waverly. You got this.” The brunette said to herself. 

Exactly 20 minutes later Waverly found herself standing in front of her full length mirror peering at the figure staring back at her. Nicole had not given her any inclination to what type of dress to wear so Waverly had decided to play it safe and wear something that would work in many different types of environments. She had decided to wear  
a pair of tights under her thigh length black skirt that sat just below her belly button. To go with that she chose a long sleeve, sheer white button down blouse that she tucked into her skirt. She finished the outfit with a black leather jacket and black heels. Waverly had decided to wear her hair down, tossling it in the mirror to make sure she had it just right. She gave her hair one last comb through before she stepped back and blew out a calming breath. She looked good, damn good if she said so herself. She felt good too, confident. The detective isn’t going to know what hit h-. 

Ding-Dong. 

Waverly’s inner monologue was abruptly cut-off by the sound of the doorbell ringing through the house. The confidence she mounted just moments before dissipating, replaced now by the nerves she’d had since yesterday. She hurried over to her dresser, spritzing herself with her favorite perfume before she made her way out of her bedroom, closing the door behind her and scurrying down the stairs. She gave her apartment a quick once over before she grabbed the doorknob to the front door. She inhaled deeply and exhaled a shaky breath as she opened the front door to reveal the redhead standing on her front porch. 

Her breath hitched as she took in the woman that stood on her porch. The redhead was wearing loose fitting black skinny jeans with with a white, flat-collared polo that she had buttoned all the way to the top. Over that she was wearing a short charcoal gray peacoat that matched the pinstripe on the pocket of her shirt as well as the charcoal grey dress boots she was wearing. Waverly wasn’t sure she had ever seen someone look as beautiful as the redhead did in her dark outfit and bright red hair being contrasted by the white snow background of the front yard. She worked her eyes back up the other woman until she got to her chest, now noticing the single rose the woman held in her hand. 

She cleared her throat as she moved her gaze back to the other woman’s face. 

“Hey you. ” Waverly spoke quietly to the other woman “is that for me?” pointing out the flower. 

Waverly watched Nicole, the woman before her seemingly not hearing her as she racked her eyes over the brunette, mouth hanging slightly agape. A familiar heat formed in Waverly as she watched the redhead drink her in. She must have definitely chosen the right outfit to gather this sort of reaction. Waverly cleared her throat before she smirked at the detective. 

“Um, Nicole” 

Waverly watched as her second attempt broke the trance of the woman in front of her, the redhead breaking her gaze on the brunette’s body before shaking her head free of whatever thoughts she was swimming in moments before. 

“Huh?.. Oh yes, uh yes.” The redhead stuttered, clearing her throat “Sorry, yes this is for you.” She said as she handed over the single rose to Waverly.” 

Waverly took the rose from the detective’s hand as she watched the redhead slip back into the trance from before. 

“I’m just going to take this and put it in some water. I’ll be right back.” Waverly signaled to the door behind her as she slipped inside, the redhead nodding in response. Waverly smiled to herself once inside at the reaction she had garnered from the previously confident redhead. She put the flower in a cup with some water before making her way back outside to the porch. Once back outside the brunette smiled down at the blushing redhead. 

“Sorry about that. I wasn’t trying to stare, it’s just you look fantastic, great really. You look,” the redhead stammered as she closed her eyes, trying to collect herself. “You look really beautiful Waverly.” 

Now it was Waverly’s turn to blush. She had received compliments before but something about them coming from the redhead standing before her made them feel different, made her feel different. Deciding to work off the upper hand she felt she currently had on the redhead she hopped down from the top step and brought herself closer to her. 

“Thank you, but I’ve got nothing on you.” Waverly replied, leaning in closer to the redhead “and by the way, I like it when you stare.” causing her to choke on the breath she seemed to be holding. 

With that Waverly turned and walked slowly towards the other woman’s charger that was parked in the driveway, chuckling as she watched the detective trip over herself in an effort to catch up to the brunette. 

Nicole reached Waverly before she got to her car and opened the passenger side door for the other woman, standing beside it and gesturing to the inside with her hand. 

“Your chariot awaits.” The redhead said with a dimpled smile.

“What a gentlewoman,” Waverly giggled, moving to sit down in the passenger’s seat of the car as Nicole closed the door. 

She looked around the inside of the car as she waited on the other woman, noticing how the dark black leather and dark black car interior seemed to match the style of the detective. She sat back in her seat and put on her seat belt as the other woman sat down in the driver’s side. She looked over at Waverly and grinned. 

“Are you ready Dr. Waverly?” 

“Please just call me Waverly from here on out,” Waverly chuckled. “And yes, I am very ready.” 

Nicole gave the brunette a dimpled smile. 

“Yes mam. Waverly it is from now on.” Nicole chuckled before she placed her hand on the headrest of the passenger’s seat and turned her body in order to use the rear window to back out of the driveway. 

Waverly felt the redhead’s close proximity radiate through her body as she felt Nicole’s arm on the back of her headrest. From this angle she could see the taunt muscles in the forearm of the detective and she felt her mouth water at the sight. The aroma of the other woman’s cologne that she hadn’t noticed before now filled the air between them and made Waverly feel a little light headed. She closed her eyes and she took in a deep breath of the enticing cent of the redhead. 

“Waverly, are you okay?” Nicole asked, staring intently at Waverly. 

“Hmm? Oh,” Waverly replied as she opened her eyes and looked over at the concerned driver before looking around and noticing they were now sitting in the road. “Oh yes…. I-I’m fine. Just peachy. Great. Excellenta.” Waverly squeaked out at an octave higher than her normal pitch, running her hands up and down her thighs. 

Nicole gave the brunette a smirk and a quick head shake before placing the car in drive. 

“Well let's do this thing then shall we?” 

—

Standing outside the restaurant the brunette revelved in her decision to wear something that would work in a more upscale environment because the detective had decided to take her to one of the nicest restaurants in the city, definitely the nicest restaurant Waverly had ever been to. They even had valet parking. Feeling a bit overwhelmed and even more out of place the brunette began to bounce back and forth on the balls of her feet, her nerves overcoming her. Nicole must have sensed the nervousness of the other woman because the next thing Waverly felt was the calming presence of her as she wrapped a strong arm around her back, rubbing her hand up and down Waverly’s forearm. 

“You ready?” Nicole questioned. 

“As I’ll ever be.” The brunette replied, looking up at the taller woman. 

Nicole kept her arm around the smaller woman as she guided them inside to the hostess station. 

“Reservation for two under Haught.” Nicole told the hostess.

The hostess quickly looked through her computer system before retrieving two menus and smiling up at the pair. 

“Of course Ms. Haught, right this way.” 

The women followed the hostess over to a table that was placed in front the restaurant’s big double windows and took their seats. 

“I hope this table is to the liking of your request Ms. Haught.” The hostess said to Nicole as she handed over the menus. 

“This is perfect, thank you mam.” Nicole replied as she tooked the menus from the hostess, giving one over to Waverly. 

As the hostess retreated Waverly stared quizzically at the other woman. 

“What?” Nicole said glancing up from her menu. 

“You requested a table?” Waverly questioned. 

“Mayyyybe.” The redhead smirked as she looked back down at her menu. 

“How suave of you Detective Haught.” Waverly flirted, looking down at her menu. 

The pair sat in silence as they decided on what to order, the waiter coming by shortly after and taking their orders. 

As she watched the waiter retreat from the table she turned her attention back towards the redhead that she found staring at her from across the table. Waverly gave a shy smile before looking down and then back up at the redhead. 

“So tell me Waverly, what made you want to go into the medical field?” Nicole asked. 

“Well, I’ve just always had this urge to help people, ya know? I’m sure it’s similar to what you feel for your job.” Waverly gestured towards Nicole. “Anyways I always felt that urge but never knew what to do with it, that was until..” waverly said pausing, not knowing if the subject was first date material. 

Waverly felt Nicole reach across the table and place her hand on hers, encouraging Waverly on. Waverly felt her hand warm under the touch of the other woman. 

“That was until my oldest sister Willa was in an accident. We sat in the waiting room of the hospital, my other sister Wynonna and I, as we waited for doctors to try and save her. Unfortunately they weren’t able to do so, but I knew in that moment what I was meant to do, what that feeling was calling me towards.” Waverly finished, looking down at their joined hands. 

“I’m so sorry to hear that Waverly.” Nicole replied, giving the brunette’s hand a light squeeze. 

Waverly shook her hand as she looked back up at the detective. 

“It’s fine, really. It was a long time ago. It wasn’t the first heartbreak I experienced and I’m sure it won’t be the last.” Waverly said dishearteningly . “Plus, at least something good came out of it right? Purgatory earned itself a doctor out of one of their very own.” Waverly chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. 

Nicole looked at the brunette with sadness in her eyes, something Waverly hoped didn’t continue. 

“So, one of Purgatory’s own huh? That must mean you’re a Purgatory OG then?” Nicole jokes, retreating back to the grinning form from before. 

Relieved the empathic look the detective had been giving her was gone, Waverly smiled back to the redhead, beaming proudly. 

“You would be correct. You’re looking at a member of one of Purgatory’s oldest families Detective.” Waverly giggled. 

“Well if I’d have known I was dining with royalty, I would have planned something much nicer than this.” Nicole replied as she gestured around the restaurant. 

Waverly threw her head back in laughter. 

“No, no this is perfect Nicole, really.” Waverly said as she looked at redhead. 

Nicole smiled slightly, locking eyes with Waverly. 

“I could listen to that all night you know?” Nicole said, Waverly cocking her head to the side in question. “Your laugh.” Nicole answering Waverly’s unasked question. 

Nicole’s admission causes Waverly to blush as she shys away from Nicole’s gaze. 

“Anywho, so you tell me how it was to grow up in Purgatory? Is your family still around here?” Nicole asked, pulling Waverly’s attention back to her. 

“Well most of the family I still have are around here.” Waverly replied, meeting the redhead’s eyes once more. “My parents actually died when I was little so I was raised by my Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis who are still both around and my sister Wynonna lived with us as well but once Willa died Wynonna began traveling and has been here and there ever since. She didn’t have the same pull to this town that I have. I miss her but I understand why she needs to do what she does. Purgatory can be mean to people who have the Earp last name.Despite that though I just couldn’t stay away. After got out of med school I just knew I had to come back here to Purgatory so when the Purgatory Memorial Hospital offered me a residency spot I just knew I had to take it.” 

Waverly watched as Nicole gazed on at her intently as she told her story, not realizing just how long she had been talking until she was done. 

“I’m sorry Nicole,” Waverly blurted out, wincing at how much of the conversation she had spent talking about herself. “I’ve just been over here rambling about myself the entire time and I haven’t even asked anything about you.” 

Nicole ran her thumb over the knuckles on Waverly’s hand. 

“Waverly I haven’t stopped thinking about you since the moment you pushed that curtain back in the ER. I get the feeling I could never know enough about you. I could listen to you talk about anything for hours. You are the most intriguing person I’ve ever met.” 

Waverly couldn’t tell if the detective was just spitting lines at her, but she got the sense she was just telling her truth. Whichever it was, it was definitely working if the heat that burned through her body at the redhead’s words was any indication. Waverly had never had someone truly interested in hearing what she had to say. The few people she had dated hadn’t been interested in much of anything outside of themselves and once they were interested in her she knew they were only pretending to be to get one thing. Even her own family spent the majority of their time looking passed her and at her sisters who tended to stir up much more trouble than she did. 

Here in this moment though, at this restaurant with the beautiful woman who sat across from her and watched her with interested eyes as she rambled on about herself she felt like the most important person in the room. 

“Nicole-“ Waverly began to say before she was interrupted by the waiter sitting their plates down on the table in front of them. 

“You ladies enjoy” 

“Thank you,” Nicole said breaking eye contact with the brunette to reply to the waiter. 

With the moment gone, Waverly decided to change the subject. 

“So how’s your food?”


	4. Chapter 4: The First Date-Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys are liking the story so far.  
> Here is the first date, part two. 
> 
> Nicole’s POV.

Nicole stepped out into the brisk night air, inhaling a deep breath of the scent the impending winter provided. She turned around to Waverly who was waiting behind her. Nicole hesitated a bit on what to say next before she decided to just speak up. 

“I know we just spent like 2 hours together but I’m not ready for this night to end just yet. How about you?” Nicole asked as she extended her hand to Waverly. 

Nicole hoped the brunette would feel the same way as she did because she just wasn’t ready to part with the other woman, she couldn’t get enough time with her. 

“I totally agree.” Waverly replied as she beamed up at Nicole, her eyes crinkling in the corners with the wide smile she presented. She reached out for the outstretched hand, Nicole feeling the same spark she had felt the day before in the ER when she felt Waverly intertwine their fingers. 

Attached hand and hand Nicole began to lead the pair down the bustling street of the big city, headed nowhere in particular. 

“So detective, since I spent the majority of dinner telling you my life story, I think it’s only fair you tell me yours.” Waverly said with a squeeze of Nicole’s hand. 

Nicole felt her chest warm at the thought of the other woman wanting to get to know her. Too many dates she had been on recently had been much of the opposite. Quick booze filled bar hops ending in midnight romps had been her MO for quite some time now which was fine at the time because that’s what she was looking for, but that’s definitely not what she wanted with the other woman she found herself currently courting. No, she wanted much more than some quick fling, and it scared her quite a bit. 

“Well, I am originally from the states. Georgia to be exact. I was born and raised there for most my life. Once I turned 16 I came out to my parents and found myself out on the streets.” Nicole said, pausing for a moment before continuing, “Luckily for me I had a super supportive Aunt living here in the city at the time who offered me a place to stay so I packed up my belongings and I’ve been here ever since. I finished high school here and then went on to the police academy, taking a job with the local police department before being offered a higher position with the National Gang Task Force. I’ve been working for NGTF for three years and just got stationed in Purgatory about six months ago.” 

Nicole felt the other girl rub her hand up and down her forearm, looking down to meet her eyes. 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that Nicole, no one should have to experience something like that.” Waverly spoke. 

Nicole shook her head in response waving off the support the other girl was trying to offer not wanting Waverly to feel sorry or concerned for her. 

“Don’t worry about it. It was a long time ago and I’ve worked passed it. Sometimes we don’t understand why things happen the way they do, but they always happen for a reason.” Nicole reassured the girl. “Without that I wouldn’t be here on a date with such a brilliant, cute doctor now would I? .” Nicole reached up and ran her finger over the cheek of the other girl, earning her a small blush in return. 

“I guess you’re right.” Waverly smiled and leaned into the touch. “There’s one thing I’m not understanding though?” Nicole dropping her hand between them and furrowing her brow at the brunette. 

“You said you worked for a Gang Task Force?” Waverly questioned. “How does that bring you to Purgatory. There aren’t any gangs around there.” 

“You’d think so in such a small town huh?” Nicole answered as she guided them down the nightlife filled streets of the city. “Not all gangs are as visible as you’d think they’d be. I’ve arrested gang members whose families were downright flabbergasted when they showed up at the precinct to bail them out, sometimes you just never know.” Nicole explained. “You see, in the case of Purgatory we are trying to get ahead of the game. We believe a gang known as the Banditos has been infiltrating Purgatory slowly and bringing their drugs with them in hopes to go undetected. However with the recently uptick in overdoses we caught on fairly quickly and we think we can stop them before it gets any worse.” 

Nicole pulled the pair to sit onto one of the benches that lined the sidewalk of the street, placing her arm around the shoulder of the woman, pulling her into her side as she joined her on the wooden seat. 

“Huh, I have noticed an increase of recent overdose cases that have been coming into the ER, I didn’t know what was going on but I guess that would explain it.” Waverly replied as she snuggled in closer to the redhead. “You don’t ever get scared doing the things you have to do for your job?”

Nicole gave a small chuckle to the other girl, trailing her finger up her arm. 

“Nahh. That isn’t the type of stuff that scares someone like me” 

“Oh yeah? Well what is something that scares somebody like you?” Waverly asked. 

“You” Nicole blurted out without thinking, trying to pull the words back into her mouth as she said them. 

Waverly sat up and leaned away from the redhead looking at her now face to face, bewilderment cast upon her features. 

“Me?!”

It was true. So far tonight Nicole had been more scared than she had been since her very first day on patrol by herself. The other woman made her a nervous wreck despite the confident persona she tried to boast for her. She wished she could take back the words she had just said but she knew it was too late so she just decided to own it. 

“Yes, you.” Nicole said, looking up to meet Waverly. She watched as her brown eyes flashed with something Nicole couldn’t quite recognized before the brunette snapped her head around in the direction of the opposing street. 

Nicole followed the abrupt movement of the other woman’s head to try and follow what she was looking at before her eyes found the street musician on the corner. 

“I love this song” Waverly said before looking down “Well loved this song I guess you could say.” 

Nicole listened intently, recognizing the song as Tennessee Whiskey with a bit of the street musicians own flair added in. 

“Loved this song?” She asked. 

Nicole watched as the brunette’s eyes lit up with a gleam. 

“When Willa, Wynonna, and I were little,” Waverly said as she watched the guitarist pick the notes on the other side “my daddy use to play this song on the record player and dance with my mom as us kids would watch them from the couch. I remember always hoping to find something like that, something like they had that would make me want to slow dance in the middle of the living room for no reason. That was before everything happened though, it kind of changed after that.”

Nicole watched Waverly eyes faltered as she spoke of the memory. Looking at the brunette as she watched the guitar player on the other side of the street with an odd mix of joy and sadness in her eyes she knew what she had to do. 

Standing up from the bench Nicole turned to the other woman, startled look on her face and offered her hand. 

“Wh-What are you doing Nicole?” Waverly stuttered, peering up at the redhead with a questionable look. 

“Come on, take my hand.” Nicole said, whipping her hand in a motion, noticing the questioning look on Waverly’s face. “Do you trust me?” 

Waverly smiled at the other woman before she stood and took her hand. Nicole squeezed the other woman’s hand before tugging her forward as she jogged across the stand still traffic, car horns sounding at the pair along the way. She pulled her hand from a reluctant Waverly before fishing out her wallet from inside her coat pocket. Retrieving her wallet she pulled out a bill before handing it to the street musician she was now standing in front of. 

“I’ll give you$20 dollars if you start this song over again.” Nicole said to the smiling musician. 

“You got it.” He said as he cut off his currently tune and picked the first few notes of the same song. 

Nicole walked back towards a befuddled Waverly, stopping before her and offering her hand once again. 

“Ms. Earp, would you like to dance?” Nicole asked with a dimpled grin, watching the growing smile of the brunette. 

“Nicole, you don’t have to do this.” Waverly chuckled as she waved off the redhead, “Let’s go,” she said trying to turn away. 

Nicole’s grin only grew as she watched the other woman try to brush her off. 

“Oh come on Waverly, you can’t turn me down forever. I’ve got plenty of cash, I’ll just keep paying this man to start over until you grant me at least one dance.” Nicole shouted to the retreating form of the brunette before she turned around. 

Waverly rolled her eyes and laughed at the redhead before taking her hand. Nicole pulled the the smaller woman into her body before placing her hands on her lower back, feeling Waverly’s hands join behind her neck. 

They stayed like that, swaying back and forth on the street sidewalk for what felt like years. The only indication it wasn’t being that the same song was still playing. At one point she even forgetting where they are. This was the closest the pair had been and Nicole could feel Waverly’s body warmth radiating through her, well it was either that of the butterflies Nicole could feel in her stomach roasting marshmallows over a bonfire in there. She shook her head at the ridiculous thought and brought her attention back to woman currently causing the butterflies. She knew she was stiff but she couldn’t stop her body from reacting in such a way. As if sensing her nervousness she felt Waverly lift her head from where she had laid it on her chest, playing with the loose hairs at the nape of Nicole’s neck. Waverly stood on her toes as she leaned up and pressed her cheek against hers. 

“Nic… relax” the other woman whispered before pulling back and meeting the other girl’s eyes. 

Nicole felt her stomach flop over onto itself at the touch of the other woman’s cheek against her own. Well, at least the butterflies were dead now. She offered the other woman a wavy smile as she resumed her previous position on the redhead’s chest. Nicole exhaled a long breath as she sat her chin atop the other woman’s head. 

Eventually the song ended and the pair broke apart, joining hands as they made their way back to the redhead’s charger. Same as before Nicole opened the door for the other woman before making her way to the driver’s side. As she slid into the car she noticed that Waverly was clutching her iPod that was hooked up to her car stereo. 

“So, what does a detective listen to on the way to work?” Waverly asked as she began to scroll through the redhead’s work playlist. Nicole noticing what the other woman was doing, snatched the device from her hands. 

“Ohh no, no. I-I don’t think we need to delve into that right now.” Nicole said as she tried to keep the iPod from the grabby hands of the smaller woman. 

“Nicoleeeee, come on.” Waverly replied as she climbed further into the other woman’s seat, grabbing Nicole’s hand that was now holding the device. “It can’t be that bad. I just want to know.” 

As if noticing simultaneously how close the two women were to one another both paused in their attempts to handle the iPod. Now so close their nose were touching Nicole glanced down at the lips of the other woman as she did the same. She looked back up, meeting Waverly’s gaze. They stayed like that for a moment, the air between them practically crackling as gazes flitted from lips to eyes before Nicole felt Waverly snatch the iPod and retreat to her side of the car. 

She sat back and tried to catch her breath, watching as the other woman plugged the iPod back into the car stereo. Nicole peered out the front windshield and winced as she heard the familiar first notes of Britney Spears’s Toxic ring out from the stereo speakers. 

She heard the cackling of laughter sound from the seat beside her as she peaked open her eye at the doubled over brunette beside her. As aggravating as she wanted to be at the other woman for poking fun at her, she couldn’t help but catch her contagious laughter and eventually she found herself laughing along just as hard. 

She watched as Waverly collected herself and wiped the tears from her eyes, sitting back up in the seat. 

“Wow, Nicole. Ju-“ Waverly tried to say as she the last remnants of giggles left her body. “Just-Sorry. That was just n-not what I was expecting at all.” Waverly gave one last chuckle before taking a deep inhale and exhale, gathering herself in the process. 

Nicole collected herself before she looked over at the stifled giggling redhead. 

“Yeah, yeah. Okay you’ve had your fun, now give it back.” Nicole said, reaching for the iPod expectantly. 

“Oh no Nicole. We are definitely listening to this on the way back to Purgatory. I want to see how Detective Haught gets ready for her day.” Waverly said with a wag of her finger, starting the song over as Nicole pulled the car out of the spot and started down the road. 

—  
The pair arrived in Purgatory 30 minutes and a few more Britney Spears’ songs later, pulling up into Waverly’s driveway as they laughed at each’s attempts at singing. 

Nicole hopped out of the car and rushed over to open the door for Waverly before she could do so herself. She took her hand as she helped her step out of the car, making sure to keep their hands joined as she escorted her up to the front door. 

“Well I guess I don’t have an excuse to offer in order to spend more time with you.” Nicole said with a breathy laugh as she swung their joined hands between them

“I guess not.” Waverly smiled at Nicole.

“Well..”  
“Soo..”

The women spoke at the same time. 

“You first” Waverly said, gesturing at Nicole. 

“I was just going to say I had a really great time.” Nicole replied as she peered at Waverly. 

“I did too, Nicole.” Waverly agreed as she gave Nicole’s hand a light squeeze. “I hope we can do it again soon.”

This made Nicole grin wildly at Waverly. She desperately wanted to see her again and she was thrilled that Waverly felt the same. 

“For sure.” Nicole beamed, feeling a bit awkward at what to do next. She wanted to kiss the other woman but she wanted her to set the pace. She didn’t want to rush Waverly into anything she wasn’t ready for. Unsure of what to do she lifted their joined hands and shook them. 

“Well I guess this is goodnight.” Nicole squeaked as she tried to will herself to stop awkwardly shaking Waverly’s hand. 

“I guess so.” Waverly said, returning the handshake slowly. “Goodnight Nicole.” 

Waverly turned and unlocked her door before stepping inside and closing the door behind her. Once Waverly was inside Nicole stumbled down the stairs of the front porch before slapping her palm onto her forehead repeatedly, chastising herself for the foolish interaction she had just prompted. 

“Stupid, stupid, stupid. A handshake? Really? What was that? Who shakes a date’s hand, Haught? God she’s going to think you’re a moron. I can’t believe you just did that. You’re a disast-“ 

Nicole silenced her rambling as she heard the hushed clearing of a throat behind her. As she turned she took in the petite form of Waverly standing in the doorway watching her. 

“Hiii-ya” Nicole said with a wave of her hand. 

“Umm, everything alright out here?” Waverly said with a smirk as she walked down the stairs, making her way towards Nicole. 

“What? What do you mean?” Nicole scoffed, trying to play off the ridiculousness Waverly had just witnessed. “Everything is fine out here.” She said as she gestured around the yard. “Just ah-okay.” 

Waverly chuckled, making her way over to the redhead. 

Before the redhead knew what was happening she felt the brunette’s body against her own and her hands on her face as she softly touched their lips together. Nicole was taken aback for a moment before her brain caught up to what was happening, wrapping her arms around the waist of the smaller woman as she pushed her lips harder against hers. Waverly’s lips were soft against hers and she tasted like nothing Nicole had ever had before. Something that was instantly addicting. She felt the brunette wrap her hands into the hairs at the back of her head as she let out a small whimper. 

With that Nicole felt the other woman pull back from her, leaving the redhead lost as she chased the lips that were previously on hers. 

“Thank you for the dance.” Waverly smiled at the redhead, placing one last peck onto Nicole’s lips before pulling back and bouncing back into the house. 

“Goodnight Nicole.” Waverly called back and with that she was gone. 

Nicole stood still for a moment, unable to move. She reached up and touched her still tingling lips, a wide smile breaking out onto her face as she stared at the door the other woman had just retreated into. Nicole fist pumped before throwing her head back in laughter. She skipped to her charger and practically jumped into the car. She gripped her steering wheel, playing a beat with her fingers. She looked at herself in the mirror, noticing the red coloration her lips now held.

“Waverly Earp, you crafty fox.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope I’m doing these guys justice with the story. I’m not sure when the next update will be, probably later this week. Thoughts and comments welcome!


	5. Chapter Five: An Interrogation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry but no wayhaught in this chapter but some fun Nicole! 
> 
> Nicole’s POV.

Nicole strolled into the flower shop on 2nd street after finishing up her lunch at Shorty’s. She approached the counter and rang the bell placed there for when someone was in need of service. 

“Be there in a minute!” She heard a voice call out from the back. 

Nicole propped herself up against the counter as she flipped through the book of flower arrangements that sat on the counter. She looked up when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the back.

“Alright, sorry about that. I was just in the back working on a shipment.” The woman said, wiping her hands clean of the dirt that covered them before she stuck one out for Nicole. “Name’s Gus, What can I do for you today?” 

“No problem at all.” Nicole shook the other woman’s hand. “I just wanted to see about getting an arrangement made for someone.” Nicole replied.

“Seems you’ve came to the right place. What did you have in mind?” 

“Honestly I’m not sure. I’ve only sent someone flowers a few time and it was usually just roses for Valentine’s Day.” Nicole admitted because it was the truth. A week had passed since she had taken Waverly out on their date and she hadn’t been able to talk to her as much as she would have liked to. If it was up to her she wouldn’t ever stop talking to the other woman. However she had been swamped at work and she found herself getting off later every night. She wished she could have already taken her out again by now but she could barely scrape together the time to shoot her a text. She didn’t want to give the brunette the wrong impression by making her think she wasn’t interested so she decided to do the only thing she could think to do and frankly the only thing she had time for at the moment, send her flowers. 

“Hmm, well how about you tell me what the occasion is? Usually when someone finds themselves stuck on a boutique, I can help with based on why they are sending them. 

“I went out on a date with this girl a week ago and it went well,” Nicole replied, smiling to herself as she recalled the memory of the evening.”it went really well actually. I’ve just been so busy I haven’t had time to see her since and-“

“And you want to send her flowers to show her that you’re still thinking about her.” Gus said, finishing Nicole’s thought. 

“Yes, that exactly.” She breathed out, relieved the other woman picked up on how she felt . “How did you know?”

Gus retreated to the back counter and grabbed another booklet of boutiques before placing it on the counter and flipping through it landing on a page and turning the book to face Nicole before pointing to it. 

“Because that smile you’re wearing while you’re talking about it must mean the girl is pretty special.” Gus replied, smiling at the other woman. 

The boutique was beautiful. It was a mix of sunflowers and daisies, it actually reminded her of Waverly. 

“I’ll take it. Do you guys deliver?” Nicole asked as she pulled her wallet out of her pocket. 

“Of course,” Gus rifled through her stack of cards, pulling one out and grabbing a blank sheet of paper before sitting them down in front of Nicole. “Here, fill out this card with what you’d like for it to say and then write down the name and address of the girl you want to send it to.” 

Nicole wrote down the address of Purgatory’s Hospital onto the blank sheet of paper, thinking it’d be better to send them there since Waverly was at work. She thought about what to write on the other card before scribbling something down and passing everything back to Gus. 

The florist collected the items from Nicole, reading over the sheet of paper and barking out a small laugh she tried to cover with her hand.

Taken back by the obscure noise, Nicole furrowed her brow trying to recall what she had written on the paper to see if she may have made some silly mistake. No, she definitely got it right. 

“I’m sorry. Sometimes I just have random outburst.” Gus said with a wave of her hand. She punched in a few numbers into the register coming up with Nicole’s total. “That’ll be 45.87, will that be cash or charge?” 

Still feeling a bit out of place at the moment Nicole dug through her wallet and retrieved her card, handing it over to the woman. 

“Very well” 

Gus swiped the card and printed Nicole’s receipt and handed it over to her. Nicole signed the slip of paper and handed it back over to the florist. 

“Alright you’re all set. These flowers should be arriving at this location sometime this afternoon” Gus gave Nicole a smile. 

Nicole nodded at the florist, still unsure of what had just transpired between them before she made her way to the door to leave. 

“Oh and Nicole,” Gus called after her “make sure when you talk to Waverly about these to tell her that her Aunt Gus says hello and to maybe bring you to dinner sometime.” 

Nicole stopped in her tracks, halfway out the door with her eyes wide. This was Waverly’s Aunt Gus?

“Uh-ye-Yeah, sure thing.” Nicole said before turning and bolting out the door down the street. “Of all the florist.” She mumbled to herself. 

Nicole arrived at the precinct a few minutes later. As she pushed through the double doors of the bullpen she felt them push back sending her stumbling back a few feet. 

Dolls looked her up and down. “Haught, where have you been?” He questioned with a hard voice. 

“I had some business to attend to after m-“ Nicole tried to say. 

Dolls held up his hand at her, cutting her off. Nicole gave him a look of faux hurt in return.

“No time. We’ve got to,” he said as he moved passed her and began making his way to the back of the building, Nicole quickly following belong behind him. “One of the local cops pulled over a guy headed into Purgatory earlier this morning, found almost twenty individual baggies of Heroin on the guy.” 

“Do you think it’s one of the Banditos guys?” Nicole questioned. 

“If we’re lucky.” 

This was the kind of break they had been looking for. So far in their investigation they had only collected bits and pieces of information from a few locals that had picked up for miselancious things here and there. Of course they would always take whatever information they could get but the pair really needed something more, a bigger fish and behind the interrogation door could be a big mouthed bass. The pair paused outside of the door, glancing over at each other. 

Nicole gave a grin to Dolls, “Good Cop, Bad Cop?” 

Dolls smiled back at the detective, passing the stack of folders over to Nicole. “Let’s do it.” 

Dolls pushed open the door and walked inside, Nicole following behind him. He took a seat in one of the chairs as Nicole stood by the door, both officers staring at the man. 

Dolls flipped through the papers on the desk before addressing the perp sitting across from him. 

“Steve is it?” Dolls questioned. 

The man nodded in response to Dolls, looking between the pair. 

“Steve, how are we doing today?” Dolls leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. 

“Well, how's it look like I’m doing captain? I’m sitting in a interrogation room staring at two fuckers.” Steve huffed. “I’m doing just dandy. Now just tell me what I’m charged with and book me already. I could use a nap.” 

Dolls gave the man a smile before before leaning elbows first onto the table. 

“Listen Steve, we are going to try to work with you here, but only if you work-“ 

“Work with you?” The man sat back in his chair as he gave out a chilling laugh. “Eat shit.” 

The pair looked at each other. They knew it would be a slim chance that the man would willingly help them but they could tell by his reaction that reasoning with the man was useless. Realizing the man wasn’t going to corporate with them as easily as they’d hoped, Dolls gave Nicole a silent nod, communicating with her that it was time. 

Nicole used her back to push off the door as she stomped over the table separating the two men from one another. She took the stack of folders she was holding and slammed them down on the table in front of where the man was sitting, silencing his laughter in the process. 

“Listen here bitch. We’re not here to play your game and we don’t have a lot of time for a discussion, so this is how this is going to go.” Nicole said with a hard voice, her stare piercing the man with daggers. “You see this stack of folders right here?” signaling to the folders behind her. “This stack of folders right here contain the name of one person apiece who has from overdosed with the same of type drug found on you earlier today.” She said with a shake of her head, sarcasm lacing her voice. “Now, The way I see it is this, since you’re the only person we’ve found that is distributing these drugs it seems to me you could be found responsible for these murders.” 

“Pshh, whatever. You can’t pin these junkies on me. How do you even know got the drugs from me? Someone else could be out here distributing that stuff. You can’t prove anything.” Steve snarked. 

Nicole gave a hearty laugh as she walked over to the man. She grabbed him by the collar are pulled him up closer to her. 

“Don’t play with me man. You and I both know where these drugs are coming from.” Nicole said, releasing the man and pushing him back down into the chair before straightening her jacket. “You see, I don’t have to prove anything, all I’ve got to do is get a jury to believe that you did.” 

Nicole moved back over to the other side of the table and took the seat beside Dolls.”

“And by the sounds of your public defender that’s standing outside, I don’t think that’ll be too hard. The way he explains it is that Purgatory is a pretty tight knit community and they aren’t too keen on outsiders coming in and poisoning their citizens.” 

Nicole knew what she was doing was morally wrong but what was worse was supplying drugs to vulnerable people and she knew she had to bluff the man in order to get what her and dolls needed. Ridding the streets of one distributor wasn’t going to slow down the the infiltration of the Banditos into the city but working alongside one just might. 

“Yo-you can’t do that.” The man wide eyed Nicole. “Sh-she can’t do that, can she?” The man said, blinking over at dolls. 

“Na-uh bitch. Eyes on me.” Nicole said pointing her fingers between her eyes and the perps. “That man is a nationally deputized Marshal. He can do whatever he wants and since he mainly listens to me, I can do whatever I want.” 

Dolls rolled his eyes behind the woman’s back as he watched her intimidate the man across the table. 

“So what’s it's going to be Steveee, are you going to work with us so we can cut you a deal or are you going to keep playing hardball and go down for these murders?” Nicole said as she leaned back and crossed her arms. “Looks to be at least 20 overdoses here. What’ll that make it Dolls? About 200 years give or take?”

“Give or take, yeah. That sounds about right.” Dolls nodded. 

“And you know Purgatory doesn’t have the death penalty so they’ll get plenty of work out of ole Steve here over the next 50 years or so.” Nicole thumbed over at the other man. 

“Oh yeah, Sheriff Nedley could use some help scrubbing the toilets of the prison.” 

“Okay!” the man shouted out. “Okay… I’ll help you.” 

Nicole slapped her hands together, ecstatic that their scare tactic worked. 

“Great!” Nicole exclaimed, standing from the table with the marshall. “Dolls will be back shortly to fill you in on the details of what our deal entail. Awesome doing business with you Steve.” 

The pair left the grumbling man sitting in the room as they left the room and closed the door behind them. They high fived each other, celebrating the success of their interrogation before they made their way back to the bullpen. 

“So bitch huh?” Dolls asked with a chuckled. 

“Ehh, seemed good at the time.” Nicole shrugged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was that? I feel like I have a lot of dialogue and not much else. Lol.


	6. Chapter Six: A dinner date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, final update for today. I’m a little nervous posting this chapter because I’ve never written anything even close to something like this so I’m just winging it. Lol. Hope it’s alright! I appreciate the love on this story, definitely encourages me to keep writing. See you guys tomorrow! Also give a context on time, you’re looking at almost two weeks since they first met. 
> 
> Waverly’s POV.

I hope I can turn some more of your memories around. 

Waverly smiled to herself as she traced the sloppy lines of Nicole’s handwriting on the card for the 100th time. When the flowers had arrived at her work a few days ago her heart had soared out of her chest. She knew they were from Nicole the moment she seen the carrier with them. She had started to think that the redhead wasn’t as interested as she was so she was relieved when she received the boutique. She knew the date had gone well, or at least it had for her. From the moment she touched her lips to the redhead’s she knew there was something more to the connection they were forming. She had kissed plenty of other people, even ones she thought she was in love with, but she had never felt like she did during those few seconds. She felt like she was floating away all while her world was spinning. She knew it sounded crazy to feel that way about someone she had just met, but she would be lying to herself if she said she didn’t. She just hoped the other woman felt the same way and she planned to find out tonight when she came over for dinner. 

Waverly' heard he phone ping so she sat the card down into the now wilting flowers before going over to check the message. 

On the way now, can’t wait to see you. 

Waverly had invited the redhead over to her place for dinner a few nights ago and was excited when she had agreed to come over. A few days after the date the pair hadn’t talked much because Nicole had been busy with work and Waverly was still unsure if Nicole was interested or not. After receiving the flowers she had sent her a quick thank you text. That was when Nicole called her and explained the reasoning for not being around as much as she had liked. She felt like all she had done for the past four years was work so Waverly understood what having a hectic work schedule was like. It had been a few days since then and the pair had made it a point to talk at least an hour or so everyday. They texted back and forth all the time but usually Nicole would call when she was getting off her shift and ask her about her day, listening patiently on the other end of the line while Waverly rambled on. They had fallen more comfortable with each other and Waverly was glad that the initial awkward feelings of first meeting someone seemed to be over. 

Waverly walked into the kitchen and lit the candles that she had placed on the table earlier, completing the setting she had put together for their dinner date. Taking a step back and examining the fungswae of the room, she felt satisfied with it. The feeling of the room was romantic in a way that says I really like you but not so much in a way that says I brought you to my house to jump your bones. She liked her, but she was not ready for that.. yet. 

A quick rap on the door broke Waverly from her thoughts. She walked to the door and opened it to Nicole standing on the other side, bottle of wine in her hand. 

“I wasn’t sure what I need to bring so I brought something appropriate for any occasion.. alcohol.” Nicole joked as Waverly invited her inside. She handed Waverly the bottle of wine and and took off her coat. 

Waverly took the bottle into the kitchen and walked back over to the redhead as she hung her coat on the rack beside the door. She turned around to face Waverly and the pair stood there for a second, staring at each other. 

“Hi” Waverly said shyly. 

Nicole reached over and enveloped Waverly into a hug. She buried her head into the redhead’s chest. She wrapped her arms around the middle of the other woman and inhaled a deep whiff of the same cologne from the other night. The cologne that had been burned in her nostrils since that first day. 

“Is it weird I missed you?” The redhead whispered. 

Waverly smiles against the chest of the other woman, maybe she wasn’t alone in her feelings. 

“No, I missed you too.” 

Waverly reluctantly pulled back from the redhead, fighting the urge to reach up and touch her dimpled cheek. She grabbed her hand and led her into the kitchen. 

“Wow Waverly” Nicole stood at the end of the table, mouth agape. “This looks..this all looks really great. You did not have to do all this for me.” 

“Yes I did.” Waverly said as she ran her hand down the redhead’s back before pushing passed her further into the kitchen, making her way over to the wine on the counter. “Now sit.” She pointed at Nicole. 

“Yes mam” Nicole said with a grin. She took a seat on the side of the table, in front of where Waverly had setup one of the place settings. Waverly opened the bottle of wine and grabbed two glasses. She joined Nicole, sitting at the seat beside her at the head of the table. She poured herself and Nicole a glass of wine and sat the bottle down on the other side. 

“Sorry dinner isn’t quite ready yet. I got off work a little later than I expected so I wasn’t able to put the lasagna in at the right time.” Waverly said sheepishly “Oh, and lasagna is what we are having. I hope you like it.” 

“Hey no need to apologize, I understand all about work” Nicole said as she took a sip of her wine. “And lasagna is actually my favorite so that’s perfect” she beamed. 

Waverly gave her a suspicious look. She couldn’t tell if the other woman was joking with her or not. There was no way lasagna happened to be here favorite and she had just so happened to cook it. 

“You’re joking.” Waverly playfully accused. “Lasagna is not your favorite dish. You’re just trying to play me.”

Nicole put her hand over her own heart dramatically, playing offended. 

“Waverly Earp, i'll have you know lasagna has been my favorite food since I was little.” Nicole gasped. “Do I need to call my Aunt and let you talk to her?” 

She began to pat the pockets of her pants as if she was looking for her phone. Waverly laughed and slapped her hand down on the other woman’s leg, above her knee effectively stopping her from what she was doing. 

Waverly started to move her hand but it felt warm against the other woman’s leg and she didn’t seem to mind so she left it there. 

“So speaking of work, I know the other day you said you thought you guys were working with a big break. How did it turn out?” Waverly said as she slowly grazed her hand back and forth, up and down a small patch of the Nicole’s thigh. 

Nicole cleared her throat and rubbed the back of her neck before she tried to speak. 

“We-“ her voice coming out with a squeaked. She cleared her throat again before continuing. “We did actually. The local Purgatory guys caught one the Bandito’s members coming into town and busted him with heroin.” Nicole explained excitedly. Waverly loved hearing Nicole talk about her work. She was so passionate about what she was doing and it was refreshing to meet someone who was so proud of what they do. She slowly gravitated closer to Nicole, trailing her hand further up her thigh as did, intently focused on what she was saying. Nicole continued, albeit slower, as she pulled at her shirt collar. “Whe-when uh, when they saw the stamped bags they knew it was one of our guys so they brought him in for Dolls and I. We were able to use that to get him to work with us as basically an informant.” Now noticing how flustered she was making the other woman Waverly continued on, feeling a desire to be closer to the other woman rise in her body. She began tracing small circles on the other woman’s thigh as she brought her face closer to the redhead’s, feeling her breathing on her lips.

“S-S-Something” Nicole choked out, “something like that is really, c-could be really, really great for us..” she trailed off as she watched Waverly’s lips inch closers to hers. 

Waverly was just about to close the small gap between the redhead’s lips and her own when she heard the ding of the oven. Huffing Waverly drew herself away from Nicole and stomped over to the stove to retrieve the lasagna from the oven. She stood over the pasta as she cursed it for the it’s awful timing. She carried the hot dish back over to the table and sat it down on the pot holders. She grabbed Nicole’s plate and portioned out some of it for her as the redhead downed the rest of her wine. 

“Thank you for this Waverly, really.” Nicole said as she blew on her forkful of pasta before not so gracefully shoveling it into her mouth, getting pasta sauce all over it. Her eyes rolled back as she swallowed it. “Oh my god Waverly this is so good. All I ever eat is the frozen kind from the microwave. That has nothing on this.” She said as she grabbed another forkful and stretched the cheese above her plate. 

Waverly laughed at the other woman spreading pasta sauce all over her mouth. She found it adorable that she had gotten so excited about her cooking. In the past she would cook as a choir to someone else and she didn’t really find herself enjoying it but if this was the reaction she would garner when she cooked for Nicole, they could eat at her house for every meal. 

“Umm, you’ve got a little something” Waverly giggled, pointing at Nicole’s lips before she just leaned over and wiped the corners of the her mouth herself, eyes lingering on the redhead’s lips before she pulled back. 

“I’m glad you like it.” Waverly said, as she beamed at the redhead’s sloppy eating. 

—  
After dinner Waverly had gathered the couples plates as well as the tray of lasagna and sat them in the sink. She had planned to wash them later but Nicole had insisted that she let her wash the dishes since she had cooked, thems the rules she said. So as Waverly packed up the rest of the lasagna for Nicole to take with her, the redhead washed the dishes. 

When they were done they reconvened in the living room to watch a movie together. They decided to watch the original IT, one of Waverly’s favorites. She told Nicole it creeped her out but really she was just using that as a ploy to cuddle on the couch, which is how she found herself laid with her back to Nicole’s front as they both sprawled out the length of the couch together. Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly’s waist and Waverly placed one of her arms over Nicole’s and the other on her leg. They stayed like that, intertwined, for the majority of the movie, that is until waverly started tracing those same patterns on Nicole’s thigh. She pretended to watch the movie with Nicole but she was really only focused on how flush her body was against the other’s.  
The redhead was trying to play it cool and act like she was focused on the movie too but Waverly could feel the heavy breathing under her as she ran her fingers along her thigh. She knew she was having an effect on the other woman and that alone was making her body burn against her touch, her pulse rising as she felt the redhead’s grip strengthen on her arm. Waverly’s body squirmed against the chiseled front she was laid back on. She laid her head back on Nicole’s shoulder and peered up at the redhead’s face as she pretended to watch the movie, the tension between them was mounting rapidly. . . She couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Fuck it.” She finally said, tossing the arms wrapped around her to the side. 

She had to feel those lips against her own. She blew out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding before she pushed herself off Nicole, the cool room offering her burning body a quick relief before she moved to straddle the redhead’s lap. She crashed her lips against Nicole’s as she wrapped her arms around her neck, Nicole’s hands falling to grip at Waverly’s waist. She melted into the touch of the other woman as her swiped her tongue along the bottom lip of the redhead, silently begging her for permission. The redhead willingly grants her enterance as their tongues meet in a delicate dance against one other, pulling a whimper from Waverly. She loved the taste of Nicole instantly, addicted already she needed more. She quicken their kiss as she deepened it, searching for more of the other woman in it. Her body grinding down onto the lap of the redhead. Nicole broke the kiss at the protest of Waverly as she planted wet kisses to the underside of her jaw, trailing them down her neck. Waverly couldn’t think straight. She had never felt this much desire for someone before. She needed Nicole like needed air and even though she was on top of her, bodies flushed together, she couldn’t get close enough to her. Waverly pushed her body into Nicole as she gripped the back of her head hard, pulling her closer to her neck as a moan escaped her lips. 

As if signaling an alarm in her, Waverly pulled Nicole’s head back away from her neck as she pushed herself further from her body. 

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…”her body protesting. “Just.. just wait.” She said as she worked to catch her breath. She looked over at the redhead, he chest heaving up and down as she looked on with concern at Waverly. Waverly wasn’t sure how to say what she needed to tell Nicole, she was nervous that it would screw everything up. 

“What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?” Nicole asked, panic riddled in her voice. 

“No, Nicole no. Nothing like that.” Waverly said with a shake of her head, placing her hand on the redhead’s chest as she tried to calm her. “This” she gestured between them “this is great, really great.” 

Waverly rolled off the other woman and ran her hand through her hand as Nicole straightened her shirt and sat up beside Waverly.

“What is it? Talk to me.” Nicole pleaded. 

“It’s just that- I don’t want to screw any of this up.” She said, cringing at the desperation she heard in her voice.”I really like what we’re doing but I don’t want to go any further, for now. I’m not ready.” 

Waverly looked at Nicole expecting to see disappointment but instead all she saw was that same dimpled grin the woman always offered her. 

“Is that it? Nicole questioned, chuckling a little as she grabbed Waverly’s hand. “Listen, I love what were just doing there, I mean wow, but I can live without that until you’re ready. I don’t want nor would I ever make you do something you’re not ready for. You set the pace here. I’m happy waiting for as long as you need to” she reassured Waverly, squeezing her hand. 

Waverly wasn’t expecting this reaction and honestly it made her want Nicole even more in that moment as she looked into the compassionate, soft brown eyes of the redhead. 

“You really mean that?” Waverly questioned as she looked up at Nicole. 

“Of course. Waverly as long as I’m spending time with you, it can be in any sort of fashion.” Nicole answered. 

Waverly leaned up and brought her lips to the redhead’s, softer this time as she kissed her slowly before it started to heat up again. 

Waverly pulled back from the other woman slightly, hovering just above her lips as she stared at them before smiling into a kiss. 

“I said I wasn’t ready to go further, but I didn’t say what we were just doing was too much. Can we continue that?” Waverly asked, smirking seductively at the other woman as she pushed her back against the couch. 

Nicole leaned into Waverly’s lips as she planted another kiss to them, a smirk on her face. 

“Yes, I think we can do that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thoughts and comments are encouraged.


	7. Chapter Seven: A misunderstanding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the fluff. The next few chapters will probably be mostly filler fluff pieces as we start to work our way into the real story, but enjoy because angst is coming soon enough. Thanks for the love!

“What do you people do all day?!” The man raised his voice at Waverly. ”We’ve been waiting here for three hours, THREE HOURS.” He said, holding up three fingers as if to punctuate the point he was trying to make. 

Waverly knew the man was irate, it was obvious by his aggressive demeanor and the way he was shouting at her in front of everyone in the ER. She understood why though. No one who has to come to the ER wants to wait for that long, but the hospital had been slammed all day and he needed to understand it wasn’t her fault that they were short staffed. No it was the fault of whoever had brought that stomach virus to work, leaving Jeremy and Waverly as the only two doctors on staff. Every patient that had come into the ER had been told they would have to wait for close to three hours to be seen but knowing that didn’t stop the patients from yelling at Waverly about it. 

“Mr. Jones, I understand why you’re upset sir, we are a bit short staffed today and I am try-“ she tried to reason with the man before he cut her off, raising his voice to speak over her. 

“No I don’t think you do. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to manage a sick toddler in a waiting room for three hours?? I mean what do you people get paid for, to sit on your asses? Every time I come here all I see is all is you so called doctors standing around not doing jack shit.” 

Waverly waited for the man to finish his tirad. They had been taught in medical school to keep patience with the people they were treating, to try and understand that most these people were in stressful situations but Waverly was in a stressful situation too. She could only take so much berating from the man before she snapped. 

“Listen sir, I get paid to treat people like your son who are sick. Now, yelling and screaming at me won’t get you out of here any faster so you can either shut up and let me treat him or I can continue to let you sit here for the rest of the afternoon.” Waverly said, voice growing with every word. 

By the look the man was wearing, Waverly could tell he was momentarily at a loss for words. That was before his face turned a deeper shade of red it was previously colored with and he stood up from his chair, bringing him to his full height which towered over Waverly. 

“You can’t speak to me like that little girl. I’m here as a patient of this hospital and you will treat me with the respect I deserve.” he snarled. 

“I’ll treat you with respect when you start treating me the same.” Waverly retorted, puffing her chest out at the man, never one to let someone intimidate her. 

The pair stood chest to chest in a silent grudge match before Jeremy heard the commotion and made his way over to the bed. 

Forcing his arms between the two, Jeremy backed Waverly up before turning and speaking to the man. 

“I am so sorry for that sir. I’ll be right with you.” This seeming to calm the irate man. He huffed out a few words under his breath and took a seat back down by the screaming toddler. 

Jeremy made his way towards the nurses station, pulling a reeling waverly behind him. 

“What are you doing Waves?!” You can’t yell at the patients.” Jeremy voiced with panic. 

“Well he was yelling at me.” Waverly retorted, anger still laced in her voice. 

“I know, but you know what our training said.” 

“Ahh to hell with the training Jeremy. I’m not going to just let someone scream in my face all day.” She snapped. “My shift is over anyways. I’ve gotta get out of here, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Waverly said, pushing passed the other boy as she stomped her way towards the breakroom. She knew Jeremy was right but she couldn’t take it anymore. The guy was being a dick and he deserved it. She pushed open the break room door, making it bounce off the wall before she threw herself down into one of the chairs. She needed to collect herself before she made an attempt to drive home. Sitting in the silent break room alone, Waverly thought of Nicole and she felt a ting of relief wash over her. Figuring that talking to the other woman would help disperse any remaining anger, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed. 

“Hello?” Nicole answered on the other line. 

Waverly was right. Just by hearing the sound of the other woman’s voice she felt her body flood with a sense of peace. She would never understand how the redhead did that. 

“Hey. Sorry for the impromptu call. I just needed to hear your voice.” She said “What are you doing?”

“You can always call me Waves.” Waverly felt her cheeks tingle at Nicole’s use of her nickname. People had always called her Waves for short so she had gotten use to it but something about the way Nicole said it made it seem like she never would. “I’m just working on some case stuff with Dolls.” Nicole continued. 

Over the phone Waverly could hear the shuffling of papers and a deeper voice, she assumed which belonged to the detective’s partner. 

“Who is that? Your girlfriend?” She heard the other voice say in the background. 

“Shut up Dolls.” Nicole retorted, her voice muffled as if she was holding her hand over the phone. 

Waverly doesn’t know why, if it was the day she had or the fact they still hadn’t talked about what they were to one another, but something about Nicole not telling the other officer that she was her girlfriend brought all the fire her voice had doused moments ago back to burning in Waverly’s chest.

“Is the prospect of me being your girlfriend embarrassing or something?” Waverly barked out into the phone, offended and a little bit hurt by the other woman’s remarks.

“What? No-wait Waverly that’s not what I m-“ Nicole tried to explain. 

“No Nicole it’s fine, really it’s fine. I’ve got to go.” And with that Waverly ended the call. She sat for a few moments before she felt tears start to prick the corners of her eyes. She knew the moment she ended the call she shouldn’t have handle the situation like that but she was just so damn frustrated. Nothing had gone right for her today and all she wanted was to talk to Nicole who had only made her more mad and that was the last thing she expected. The redhead had been a dream since they met three weeks ago. She didn’t know how to handle a situation where she didn’t make her feel like she was floating on a cloud, but instead made her feel like everyone else had made her feel throughout her life, unimportant. 

Waverly felt her phone buzz, opening the message Nicole had just sent her. 

-Hey. I’m not sure what just happened but I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way. Give me a chance to explain? 

Waverly knew the woman deserved that and she did want her to explain. She was just too exhausted to hear it right now and she wasn’t sure her frustrated brain could think logically so she shut her phone off and slipped it in her pocket. She changed out of her work clothes before she gathered her stuff and left the hospital to head home. 

—

Waverly sat curled up on her couch drinking a glass of wine trying to come down from her hectic day. It had taken a good hour for her to fully calm down after she left work. When she got home she went for a quick jog to clear her mind and then she took a long lavender infused bubble bath to help her relax, the combination of the two really bringing her back down to earth. Now that she didn’t feel like she wanted to set the world on fire she felt disappointed in the way she had acted, towards Jeremy and Nicole. She knew her best friend would understand, he always did. However she wasn’t sure about Nicole. She was still perturbed by the way Nicole had reacted but Waverly knew she should have let her explain herself before just cut her off like she had. She had decided to call her tomorrow to hopefully smooth things over, maybe give Nicole a break from her as well. She probably needed it with the way Waverly had been acting. 

In times like this where Waverly was feeling like she didn’t have anyone to turn to, there’s only one person she wanted to speak with. Her sister Wynonna. She hadn’t spoken to Wynonna for almost a month. Last they’d spoke, her sister told her she might be unavailable for a little while as she was traveling through remotes parts of Greece and sure enough Waverly hadn’t heard fork her since. Waverly knew why Wynonna had to travel and stay away from Purgatory the way she did. She just wished that didn’t mean she had to stay away from Waverly as well. She missed her sister, they had a bond that no one else would be able to understand and when Wynonna wasn’t around Waverly felt like she had to deal with everything on her own. She use to be mad at Wynonna when she was younger. Waverly couldn’t understand why she would keep leaving her. However as she grew older she knew it wasn’t because of herself, but rejection is a hard feeling to forget. No matter their ups and downs though, she always knew Wynonna would have her back no matter what. 

She pulled out her phone and found Wynonna’s contact before shoot off a message to her. 

I miss you! Wish you would call me sometime. Can’t wait to tell you all about the new excitement I’ve got going on:) hope you’re having fun! Love you. 

As Waverly was putting her phone down onto the coffee table she heard the familiar sound of the doorbell. She wasn’t expecting company so she wearily creeped her way over to door and looked out the peephole to see who was standing outside. She could just barely make out the weird shape of something but it almost seemed to be floating, that’s weird. Unlocking the doorknob but keeping the chain bolt firm in place Waverly cracked the door open. 

“Who is it?” She said in the strongest voice she could muster, hoping it would scare away any unwanted guest. 

“Hey, it’s me.” Nicole said as she moved around the thing she was holding to look at Waverly through the door. “I’m sorry to come over uninvited like this. It’s just that we ended things on such weird terms today and you weren’t answering any of my calls and I just panicked. I went home and tried to do something to take my mind off it, but I was driving myself crazy so I had to come over here and see you.” The redhead rambled on, nervously rubbing the back of her neck. “This is inappropriate right? I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have just come over here unannounced. You probably don’t want to see me.” She continued as she started to put the stuff she was holding in her hands down on the porch. 

Waverly shut the door on the nervous woman, undoing the chain lock before opening it back up fully. She lunged into her body, pulling Nicole into a bruising hug. She hasn’t realized just how much she had missed her daily routine of talking to the redhead when she got off work until she saw her standing on the porch. 

Nicole wrapped her arms around Waverly’s lower back as she pulled her tighter against her body. 

“I’m so sorry Waverly. I didn’t mean mean what I said earlier the way it came out.” Nicole pleaded. “Dolls was just interrupting us an-“ 

Waverly pulled back from Nicole’s chest, bringing her face down to hers and hastily pressing her lips against the other woman’s, swallowing the apology she was trying to offer. Waverly held the kiss for a moment before she pulled Nicole’s face back from hers, running her thumbs up her cheek as she peered into her eyes. 

“So I take it you’re not mad at me anymore?” Nicole breathed out with a smile. 

Waverly chuckled slightly, taking in the sincere brown irises of the other woman. 

“No Nicole I’m not mad at you. I was never mad at you. I was just having a really bad day and I took it out on you. I’m sorry.” Waverly explained, letting go of the death grip she had on the other woman’s face. 

“You’re sorry? Well if you’re sorry then what am I going to do with this?” Nicole questioned, pulling the balloon from behind her back. 

Waverly gave the redhead a sheepish grin as she took in the woman standing in front of her, a puppy dog look plastered on her face as she held a huge unicorn balloon. 

“You got that for me?” Waverly blushed, taking the balloon from Nicole. 

“Of course I did. It’s an ‘I’m sorry I was a jackass earlier’ unicorn balloon.” Nicole grinned. “Pretty standard.” 

Waverly laughed at the other woman, taking one of her hands in her own. 

“Look Waverly,” Nicole began, looking down at the other woman. “What happened earlier..” 

Waverly shook her head to stop the other woman. “Don’t worry about it Nicole, really. It’s fine.” 

“No, no it’s not fine Waverly.” Nicole said in a serious manner. “It’s not fine. You deserve better than that. What Dolls said earlier and the way I reacted. That wasn’t good enough for you. We just hadn’t talked about that yet and I wasn’t sure if that’s something you even wanted, I mean I think it is but I didn’t want to assume and I didn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

Waverly played with the sleeve of the other woman’s shirt as she listened to her explain herself, quirking an eyebrow at the last part of her explanation. 

“You didn’t know if that is something I wanted?” Waverly giggled. “Nicole we talk everyday and I’ve made out with you on my couch like four times. I can definitely say this is something I want.” 

Nicole let out a nervous exhale before she gave the brunette a dimpled grin. 

“You do?” She asked shyly. 

“Yes, I really do” Wavelry answered, lifting on her toes to place a doting kiss to her cheek. 

Nicole wrapped waverly up in her arms once again, strategically moving around the balloon there. 

“That’s the best news I’ve heard this week.” Nicole beamed as she kissed her forehead. 

“So girlfriends?” Waverly muffled into the other woman’s chest. 

“Definitely” Nicole agreed, releasing Waverly from her grip. 

“Sorry for the fight earlier.” Waverly said, shame lining her voice for how she acted. 

“It’s okay, girlfriends fight. Its -uh- it’s natural.” 

“It’s kinda the worst.” Waverly replied with a breathy laugh. 

“Yeah it’s kinda the worst.” Nicole chuckle, shaking her head in agreement. 

Waverly grabbed the redhead by the front of her shirt and pulled her in for another kiss before whispering against her mouth. 

“But the making up part is not” she smirked as she pulled the redhead into the house, closing the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thoughts and comments are welcome.


	8. Chapter Eight: A Night In.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gets more racy. I actually enjoyed writing it more than I thought I would. There’s still some fun stuff in this chapter even if that isn’t your thing. Just skip to the second part of the chapter.

Waverly Earp had always known she liked girls. When she was much younger she thought comparison of herself to the others was the reasoning behind her infatuation. That was until Beth Gardner kissed her in the parking lot after school one day senior year. After that everything was clear and Waverly knew her reasoning behind her infatuation was that they were girls she wanted to be on top of, not be like. Then she went off to college and met her college sweetheart, a sweet boy named James she thought she could see herself marrying. However she could never shake the feeling that something was missing, something was off. Starting her first year of med school she finally broke things off with James, telling him their lives were moving in two separate directions. After that Waverly explored her sexuality, going on dates here and there with both men and women but none of them ever feeling right enough to take it further. 

However tonight, sitting on her couch atop the redhead underneath her, straddling her thighs, everything felt just right. Yep, Waverly Earp always knew she liked girls, she just didn’t know how much she could like one girl in particular until she met Nicole two months ago, and as she ground her center down into Nicole’s lap, she was quickly learning just how much she liked the things this girl could do to her. 

It had been a month since the pair made things official and they had been spending almost all their free time together, a lot of it like they were now, never taking it to the next level though. Waverly still wasn’t ready and Nicole had the patience of a saint. However that didn’t mean they couldn’t explore each other while they waited, which was exactly what they found themselves doing now. 

Nicole had her head buried in Waverly’s neck as she sucked on her racing pulse point. Her strong hands gripped Waverly’s ass as the brunette ground down flush against the other woman. A small whimper escaped from her lips as she wrapped her finger into the hair at the base of Nicole’s neck a bit harder, scratching at her scalp. Nicole released the spot on Waverly’s neck and ran her tongue up and back on the side of her neck until she reached her ear. She lightly flicked Waverly’s earlobe with her tongue before she enveloped it with her mouth, nibbling and sucking the sensitive area. This drove Waverly crazy and Nicole knew it. She had found that out pretty quickly since the first time she did it Waverly nearly shouted out a moan involuntary. She leaned her head into the redhead, hoping to gain more contact. Nicole squeezed her ass tighter in return, realising a breathy moan. 

“Shiiit...Niiicole.” Waverly gasped at the motion the other woman was working her tongue in along the length of her ear. 

She gently tugged the other woman’s hair, pulling her head back in the process. She crashed their lips together in a hungry kiss that was all tongue and teeth. Out of everything she loved doing with Nicole, kissing was by far her favorite. She couldn’t get enough of the taste of the other woman or the feel of her tongue wrapped around her own. She pulled back from the kiss and tugged at the bottom of her shirt, pulling it over her head in one swift motion and tossing it onto the floor behind the couch. She paused for a moment as she took in the look of awe the redhead had as she scanned Waverly’s bra clad chest before working her eyes up to meet Waverly’s. She felt herself shiver slightly under the sight of the other woman, eyes dark with lust and desire. 

“You’re beautiful” she spoke before reattaching herself to Waverly’s body, laying wet kissing across her collarbone as she traced a line across her chest with her tongue to the other side, sucking small bruises into the skin there. Waverly panted above the redhead as she worked her shaking heads down the buttons of the other woman’s shirt, undoing each slowly until she had her it completely open, her chest bare to Waverly’s. 

She ran her hand across the collarbone of the other woman, tracing the prominent structure with her finger. She could feel Nicole’s breathing speed up as she continued to kiss around her chest. Waverly was enjoying what the other woman was doing but she needed her hot mouth elsewhere. She straightened her back and pushed her chest up into the other woman’s face. Getting the hint, Nicole began to kiss the top of Waverly’s breast, enticing a moan from the her. 

Waverly gripped at the sides of Nicole’s stomach, heat burning through her body as the redhead worked her tongue over the delicate skin of her breast. She removed the hands that were gripping her ass, intertwining their fingers and holding them suspended in air beside her body for a moment before she placed them both where Nicole’s mouth was working. She threw her head back at the contact, splaying her hands across taunt abs as Nicole ran her thumbs over Waverly's perk nipples through the fabric of her bra. She pushed her chest further into Nicole’s eager hands, grabbing the redhead’s chin and bringing her mouth to hers. She kissed Nicole deep as she worked her hands up her torso. Waverly worked kisses down Nicole’s chiseled jaw, moving to nip over her pulse point as she grasp at her chest. 

“Damn...baby” Nicole moaned, out of breath from the smaller woman’s delicate touch. 

The name making Waverly pause for a moment. She always hated when ex’s had called her by what other people marked as terms of endearment by what she felt like were more tags of possessions. Like everything else though, things were different with Nicole. The sweet sound dripping from Nicole’s mouth made her feel fuzzy, and still a little bit owned but she liked the idea of being strictly Nicole’s and Nicole being hers. 

Nicole returned her mouth to the Waverly’s neck, biting down roughly on a spot below her ear. The new sensation struck through Waverly’s body like a bolt of lightning , landing between her thighs in a pool of heat. 

Waverly’s removed her hands from the redhead’s chest, Nicole giving a small whimper of protest, before she moved them behind her back and removed her bra. She watched as Nicole’s mouth hung open at the sight. She looked up to meet w  
Waverly’s eyes, questioning if she was sure. Waverly gave Nicole a curt nod before she slowly wrapped her hands around the back of the redhead’s neck and pulled her mouth to her chest. 

Nicole placed kisses along Waverly’s now bare breast, stopping and sucking a few bruises into spots before she slowly and very lightly swirled her tongue around Waverly’s nipple. The sensation was something Waverly had never experienced before. She almost felt out of her body, like she was floating above them watching what was happening. That is until Nicole takes her entire nipple into her hot mouth. This sends Waverly crashing back down into her body.

“Mmm Nicole.” Waverly moaned, “don’t stop.” 

Waverly tugs at the redhead’s hair, harder now as she pushed her mouth further into her breast. She wildly grinds her body down into Nicole as she feels the redhead push her hands onto her thighs, putting pressure onto them as she slowly runs them up Waverly’s thighs, stopping before where Waverly’s body desperately aches for them to touch before moving them back down. Repeating the motion again, her thumbs run up the inside of her legs as she does. The motion of her body against Nicole’s, and Nicole’s mouth on her chest, hands on her thighs, starts a coil in the pit of Waverly’s stomach. A coil that Waverly is familiar with, one she gets every time she lets herself explore her more explicits thoughts of Nicole when she’s laying in bed at night, darkness surrounding her as she slips her hand down beneath the waistband of her sleep shorts. A coil that Waverly is too caught up in the moment to notice is there at first until it’s rushing downward, threatening to bust out of her at any moment. 

Realizing what’s about to happen, she flings herself off of the other woman, onto a spot on the couch beside her. 

“Okay, Okay, Okay, Okay.” She manages, still completely out of breath. “Whewww, Okay.” She says with a deep inhale and exhale. “Tha-that, uh that was uh, yep.” Waverly nodded her head to no one in particular, trying to gather herself so she can form a coherent thought. 

Waverly’s body was screaming at her for removing it from the pleasure it was receiving moments before but her brain was in control now. She knew she wanted Nicole , she had never desired someone so much. However something was holding her back from giving herself over to her completely, she just hadn’t figured it out yet. 

Looking over at the redhead, a pang of guilt hit Waverly. She knew she was working the other woman up and then just leaving her out to dry. 

“Nicole, I’m so sorry. I’m ju-I’m not ready yet.” Waverly apologized, folding into herself on the couch. 

Nicole took the other woman’s hands in her own.  
“Waverly look at me” she said, continuing when the brunette looked up at her. “You never have to apologize to me for not being ready. I’ll wait on you forever if that’s what you want.” 

Waverly felt her heart swell at the other woman’s sentiment. With someone else she might not believe it, but with Nicole she knew the woman was telling the truth. She took in the redhead and admired the beauty that sat across from her. Nicole’s hair was all tossled and her shirt was half unbuttoned, showing off her muscular body. Her lips were swollen and her eyes were full of nothing but compassion, she looked wild and open as she sat across from Waverly. 

In that moment, seeing Nicole like that, Waverly’s body took over once again and she climbed back on top of the redhead, meeting her eager mouth as she whimpered. She deepened the kiss and placed her hands into the other woman’s hair once again. 

Nicole tried to pull back from the kiss. 

“Wa-“ she choked out before Waverly crashed their mouths together once h again. 

This time Nicole grabbed Waverly’s cheeks and pulled the brunette away from her face. 

“Waves,” Nicole said, dodging the smaller woman’s eager mouth with a smile. “Waves we got to stop. It’s what you really want.” 

“No it’s what my brain wants.” Waverly argued as she moved down to Nicole’s neck. 

Nicole lightly picked up Waverly and sat her down on the couch beside her. She leaned over the back of the couch, grabbing Waverly’s shirt off the floor and retrieving her bra on the way back. She handed both back to Waverly before she started to butting up her own shirt. 

“Well until you both your body and brain are on the same page, we’re going to wait.” Nicole patted Waverly on the knee.

“Stupid brain.” Waverly murmured as she put her bra back on. 

Nicole shook her head and chuckled at the pouting other woman. 

“Oh it’ll be okay baby” giving Waverly a dimpled grin. “Just your shirt back on” she said as she stood up from the couch, stopping and looking at the brunette. “Huh, never thought I’d say that.” 

————

A little while later the pair is cuddle up on the couch together listen to the rain pour in. They are in their usual position. Nicole has her lengthy body spread the length of the couch while Waverly lies between her legs, curled up into their chest. 

“Come on tell me.” Waverly pleads. 

Nicole shakes her head above Waverly before planting a kiss on the top of the tussle of brown hair. “No can do baby. I’m not telling you.” 

“What if I guess it?” Waverly questions as she draws circles on the redhead’s chest with her finger. 

“Sure, if you guess it, I’ll tell you.” 

Waverly shuffles in excitement against Nicole’s body. 

“Eeek, Okay…. Jane?” 

Nicole peers down at Waverly with a questionable look.

“Do I really look like my middle name is Jane?” 

Waverly giggles at Nicole’s response. “No, but I had to start somewhere.”

“Okay how about Sawyer?” 

“Nope” 

“Jessica”

“Nah-uh” 

“Welcome” 

Nicole scoffed at the guess, Waverly could feel the chuckle rise in her chest. 

“Welcome?? What kind of guess is that? Welcome isn’t a name.” 

Waverly gave a breathy laugh before she leaned up and looked at Nicole. 

“Welcome was suppose to be my name actually.” 

Waverly felt Nicole’s body stiffen under her, her eyes widening at the mistake she had made. 

Waverly threw her head back in laughter at the shocked look on the other woman’s face. 

Nicole smiled nervously before her smile turned down. 

“You’re joshing me?” Nicole asked. 

“No” Waverly barked out “but you should see your face” she said pointing at the redhead. 

“Okay, Okay. Ha-ya very funny.” Nicole replied, quieting the brunette and she playfull gripped her sides, making waverly squirm. 

“No, don’t tickle.” She said, playfully slapping Nicole’s arm get her to stop “I’m done, I’m done.” She surrendered. 

“But really, what’s your middle name?” Waverly asked, more serious now. 

“Rayleigh.” Nicole finally relented. 

Waverly sat with this for a minute before she ran her hand along the other girl’s cheek. 

“Nicole Rayleigh Haught” Waverly said, smiling at the other woman. “Beautiful” she breathed out and pressed a kiss to the other woman’s lips.

Nicole blushed before she sat up. 

“Well it’s getting kind of late. I best be going.”  
She said as she moved to sit up on the couch. 

Waverly didn’t want the other woman to go. They were having such a good time and she missed her when she left. Plus she didn’t like the idea of Nicole driving around by herself in the storm. 

“You know it’s getting pretty bad Nicole. Maybe you should just stay here.” She said as she grasped the other girl’s hand. 

Nicole rubbed the back of her neck as she thought about Waverly offer for a moment. 

“Uh-Yeah I mean, yes I could do that. I’ll just take the couch here. Do you have any blankets?” She asked. 

Waverly smiled at the chivalry of the other woman but she didn’t want her to sleep on the couch. 

“I’m not going to let you take the couch Nicole.” She argued. “You can sleep in the bed with me. I promise I’ll behave.” Waverly said, holding out her pinky. 

Nicole grinned at Waverly before she took her pinky with her own. 

Waverly led Nicole up to her bedroom,  
flicking the lights on as they walked into the room. 

Nicole looked around, taking in the room.

“Very Waverly” she said, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman from behind. “I like it” She said, placing a kiss to her temple. 

The couple settled into bed beside one another, Waverly cuddled back into Nicole her long arms wrapped around her. 

Waverly took one of Nicole’s hands and placed a kiss to her knuckles.

“Thank you Nicole.” 

“For what?” 

“Just for being you.” She said before drifting off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you guys tomorrow!


	9. Chapter Nine: A confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By far my favorite chapter so far. Hope you guys like it as much as I did.

Nicole leaned forwards towards Waverly, bringing their faces close enough that their noses touched. She could feel the brunette’s breathing hot against her own lips, watching as a smile broke across the other girl’s face making her eyes crinkle in the corners. The cute way her face scrunched when she was offering one of her signature Waverly smiled was one of the things Nicole had really come to lov-like, one of the things she had really come to like about Waverly the last three months. She could see the tiny freckles the girl had on the bridge of her nose and she fought the urge to kiss them. 

“Are you ready?” Nicole grinned when Waverly brought her hand up to brushed one of her stray red hairs behind her ear, the touch making her cheeks warm. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be” she beamed in response. 

Nicole leaned forward the remaining inch and pressed their lips together quickly. 

“Okay then,” she said leaning back slightly “On the count of three.” Waverly nodded in response. 

“One….. Two….. THREE.” 

On cue both women jumped apart from one another and grabbed the pistols that sat on the small bench in front of them. Each woman cocked one of the guns and pointed them out towards the targets that were located across the field. Nicole fired off the first shot, hitting the target right in the chest. Waverly followed suit as the two women took turns firing off six shots apiece into the targets. Putting her gun down Nicole removed the ear plugs she was wearing, tossing them one at a time at Waverly. 

The other woman dodged the small orange bulbs with a look of disgust. 

“Ewww, Nicole. No one wants your ear wax on them.” She said as she sidestepped the earplugs. 

Nicole walked over to Waverly and wrapped her arms around the other girl’s middle. She repeatedly kissed her on the cheek while she swung her body side to side, the motion making Waverly laugh. 

“You think my earwax is sexy and you know it.” Nicole said slyly as she put Waverly back on the ground.

“Oh yeah baby let me tell you.” Waverly replied sarcastically, pushing off the other woman. 

“Come on, let’s go see how bad I beat you in target practice” she said, the remark earning her a slap on the butt from Waverly before she tucked her hand into her back pocket. 

“Babe am I even supposed to be out here? Isn’t this like only for cops?” Waverly questioned. 

“‘Mmm, yes technically” Nicole gave a nod “buuut when I asked Sheriff Nedley if I could bring Waverly Earp out here to shoot with me he practically broke his jaw with a smile. I mean I actually think he was more excited than I was.” 

Waverly flipped her hair back with her hand. “Well What can I say? I am the town sweetheart and all.” She emphasized. 

Nicole rolled her eyes and slung her arm around the smaller girl’s shoulder, dragging her towards the awaiting targets. 

“Yeah I hear ya sweetheart.”

They arrived at the targets and examined their own. Nicole unpinned hers from the board and brought it over to where Waverly was standing. She repinned hers up beside Waverly’s and took a step back so she could compare the two. She was impressed by the accuracy of the other woman. When she had originally asked Waverly to come shoot with her on their day off the woman had been excited, explaining that shooting with Wynonna was one of her favorite things to do as a child. Waverly had landed almost all her shots in the chest area of the body outline on the target, except for one stray bullet hole that laid above the man’s shoulder. Nicole looked over at her own and saw that all six shots had landed in a precise pattern on her targets chest. She smirked as she realized she had beat the woman. She lov- liked, blinking the near slip up from her head, she liked how mad Waverly got when the two would compete and Nicole would beat her. She was so competitive and Nicole found it adorable. 

“Hmm, you’re a good shot baby” Nicole said, offering the other woman a cocky smile. “Just not as good as me it seems.” 

Waverly withdrew the hand she had replaced on Nicole’s back pocket and crossed her arms over her chest. She stomped over to her target and ripped it off the board. 

“Whatever.” She scoffed, stomping her way back over to Nicole. “You were professionally trained. It’s not even fair.” 

Nicole laughed at the childlike nature of the pouting woman, so adorable. She walked over and wrapped her hands around her once again, this time Waverly keeping her arms across her chest. 

“Aww baby come on, it’s not that bad.” She kissed the top of her head. “You did beat me at the spelling contest we had. You can’t win them all” 

Waverly huffed into Nicole’s chest as she relaxed into her embrace. 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” 

“Plus, I am a really good shot. You never stood a chance.” Nicole added with a shrug. She knew it drove Waverly crazy when she rubbed in her wins but she found it hilarious to see the brunette flustered. 

Waverly pushes back off Nicole and playfully slapped her arm before, standing off to the side as she pretended to be mad. She glanced over at Nicole who winked at her with a confident smile. Waverly looked away from Nicole as she tried to stifle a laugh before she glanced back over to where the redhead now stood with her arms open. Waverly couldn’t resist her and it wasn’t long before she was wrapping her hands around Nicole’s neck. The targets long forgotten. 

“You know.. cockiness is my least favorite trait in someone.” Waverly said as she looked up at Nicole, a small hint of seduction in her eyes. 

“Oh yeah?” Nicole asked with a smirk. 

“Yes” Waverly replied, twirling a strand of Nicole’s hair around her finger. “So why do I find it so attractive on you?” 

“Because I’m irresistible” Nicole said as she slowly lowered her head towards Waverly’s, bringing their lips together. The brunette pulled her closer to her, kissing her with a little more umph than usual. This was why she liked to compete with the brunette. Because as much as Waverly liked to pretend Nicole’s cockiness got on her nerves, the redhead knew it drove her wild deep down. 

The brunette deepened the kiss, a small whimper escaping into Nicole’s mouth. The redhead opened her eyes to look around and make sure they were alone when she spots the man standing at the back door of the police station, peering at them through the window. 

Nicole immediately pushed back from Waverly as she noticed the man watching them, recognizing who it was. The man waved at Nicole, signaling her to come to him. 

“Hold on baby. I’ve got to go handle something real fast.” She pecked Waverly’s lips once more. “How about you reload the guns and I’ll be right back?” 

Waverly nodded and Nicole jogged over to the door and stepped inside. 

Steve stood on the other side, playing on his phone as she waited for Nicole. 

“What’s up?” She questioned towards the man, running a hand through her hair to straighten it. 

“You seem busy detective.” He answered with a menacing smirk. “Maybe I should come back another time?”

Nicole rolled her eyes. She and Dolls had been dealing with Steve for three months and she hated every minute she had to be around him. He was an asshole with no concern for anyone and she wanted nothing more than to throw him behind bars, but he had helped the officers catch three more distributors and get them off the streets so there wasn’t much she could do about him now. He was their main lifeline into the Bandito and as much as she hated the slimey man, she couldn’t afford to lose him. 

“No Steve, you’re here now. Just spit it out.”

The man flipped through his phone and handed it to Nicole. 

“We’ve got a big one coming in.” 

Nicole flipped through the information on the phone, eyes widening. Steve was right by the looks of this information. Whoever was lead of the Banditos had a huge shipment coming into Purgatory. The text said they would be coming into town around dawn tomorrow and they would be meeting out at the old abandoned warehouse near the town limits. Nicole knew the place well. Dolls and herself had stacked the place out when they first arrived to Purgatory but had only found a few of the Banditos signature stamped bags, the owners long gone. 

“One of our biggest suppliers will be coming to make the drop and word has it the big man himself will be there too.” 

Nicole knew Steve was referring to the guy responsible for heading the Banditos. They had questioned Steve about him when he first started working as their informant but Steve had never met the guy, he told them that very few people actually had met him and he was too low on the totem poll to be important enough. 

Nicole’s heart raced at the prospect this opportunity could bring them. If they could get not only one of the biggest suppliers for the Banditos but the man in charge as well, this could be a case they could hang their hats on. 

“Good work.” Nicole said as she forwarded the information over to her own phone. She looked back up to Steve catching him as he stared out the window at Waverly. 

“Hey” she shouted, snapping her fingers to bring his eyes to her. She tossed him the phone, the man bobbling it before he caught it. 

“Who’s your friend detective?” He questioned, eyes returning to the window.

Nicole stepped in front of the man’s line of sight, effectively blocking Waverly from his gaze. 

“That’s none of your fucking business, now get the fuck out of here.” She snarled, turning to go back outside. 

As Nicole reached for the doorknob she heard the familiar sound of a camera shutter. She instantly felt the familiar anger rise in her chest that she had worked so hard to contain in the past. There were parts to Nicole that she was ashamed of at times, her own personal demeaning qualities she hated. She hated the way she got so worked up over her favorite sports teams. She hated the way she got so easily aggravated by traffic. However the part she hated the most was the part that was growing rapidly in her body at the man’s actions. She knew he had taken a picture of Waverly and the darkest part of her she had tried to bury was climbing to the surface. Her darkest demon that rarely made appearances, only coming out when someone threatened her or someone she loved. A demon that could take control of her mind and make her do things she would normal not be capable of. Normally she had control over this part of herself, but as with everything else Waverly makes her lose control of, this was one too. 

She rapidly turned towards the man and stalked over to him. She snatched the phone from his hand and smashed it to the floor, stomping on it with one foot for good measure. She pushed the man against the wall with a slamming force, his back making a small indention on the painted surface. She punched him in the gut, the man doubling over in pain. She wrapped her hand around his throat, squeezing as she brought his face back to hers. 

“Listen to me because I’m only going to say this once.” She snarled “if you ever come near that girl out there, if you ever say her name, if you ever even fucking look her way again. I will enjoy breaking your fucking neck. Do you got that?” 

The man nodded, voice taken by the grip on his throat, and Nicole released him. He coughed out as he tried to catch his breath, sliding to the floor below him. He looked back up at Nicole as she fanned out her jacket and fixed her collar, her eyes hot with a fire he hadn’t ever seen. She crouched down beside the panicked man.

“And if you think I’m bluffing” she said as she pulled her jacket back so he could see her gun “try me and find out.”

With that Nicole hopped up off the floor and retreated back outside. She stomped over towards where Waverly was waiting with the guns, the brunette looking at her with concern. 

“You okay babe?” She asked, taking in the redhead’s stone appearance. 

Nicole kissed Waverly forehead before she smiled. 

“Yes baby, I’m fine.” She said picking up one of the guns. “Now let’s see if you can beat me.” 

The women began firing off rounds once again, but Nicole knew Waverly would never beat her now. As images of Steve player over in her mind she fired six perfect shots right into the targets head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I’ll see you guys tomorrow!


	10. Chapter Ten: A Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I missed you guys yesterday. Hopeythe fluff will make up for it. I may get another chapter out today.

“Are you sure this shirt looks good enough?” Nicole asked for the third time in the past 30 minutes, huffing she started unbutton the shirt to take it off. 

Waverly had watched Nicole change shirts three times so far and as much as she liked watching the redhead slip off of her shirt so she could admire her abs, she wasn’t watching her again. She got up from the spot she was sitting at on the edge of the bed and walked over to Nicole, placing her hands over the other woman’s which were working hastily to unbutton the buttons of her shirt. 

“Baby” Waverly said, stopping Nicole’s hands.   
“Baby stop” 

Nicole huffed out a frustrated breath, dropping her hands down by her side. She closed her eyes and let Waverly button her shirt up once more, inhaling slowly. 

Waverly buttoned Nicole’s top button and ran her hands over the shoulders of her shirt straightening out some wrinkles and trying to calm the other woman’s nerves. 

“I’m just nervo- I’m just, I’m nervous.” Nicole admitted, barely a whisper. 

And Waverly knew she was. Ever since she they had left the shooting range earlier that day and Waverly had asked her to come and eat at her Aunt Gus’s with her, the redhead had been a ball of nerves. She hadn't stopped asking Waverly questions about the dinner and about Gus since the moment she mentioned it. The admiration she held for the other woman only grew, making her heart swell at how much Nicole cared about meeting Gus. No one had ever cared for Waverly and the things she loved, the people she loved like Nicole did. Waverly often found herself having to ask if people really cared about her, but not with Nicole, never with Nicole. 

“Awww baby” Waverly cooed at the other woman, running her hand along her cheek. “I know you’re nervous but there’s no need to be” she reassured her “she’s going to love you just like” Waverly cut herself off, pausing her ministrations on the other woman’s cheek, Nicole stared at her as if waiting on what she’d say next. Waverly cringed at the awkward moment she had just caused between them, racking her brain for words of any kind. 

“Ju-Just like everyone does.” Waverly finally finished, offering a weak smile and continuing the motions along her cheek, giving her a weak smile. 

Waverly watched as emotions flashed through Nicole’s eyes, hope and then something similar to disappointment following after. 

Nicole leaned into Waverly touch and turned to look at herself in the mirror. 

“You really think this looks good?” She asked, insecurity riddling her features. 

Waverly grabbed Nicole’s chin and turned her head towards her so she could meet her eyes. 

“Baby you look amazing.” She kissed her nose. “And stunning” she said, placing a kiss to her forehead. “And beautiful” kissing her cheek on one side then the other. “And sexy” she said with a smirk as she ran her hands along Nicole’s stomach, placing open mouth kisses to her neck, causing the other woman to whimper. “And I think if we don’t get out of here right now we’re going to be late.” She said, placing one final kiss on Nicole’s lips, nibbling in her bottom lip slightly. 

She grabbed the redhead’s hand and drug her out of the room, much to her protest. They made their way downstairs and Nicole grabbed her keys, following Waverly out the door. 

They sar in relative silence as they made their way across town towards Gus’s house, Waverly’s hand caressing Nicole’s bouncing thigh as she drove. As they arrived at Gus’s Nicole took one final deep breath before she hopped out of the car, opening Waverly’s door and offering her hand to the smaller woman. The pair walked hand in hand, fingers intertwined before they stopped outside the door. 

“Are you ready?” Waverly smiled up at Nicole, giving her hand a tight squeeze. 

Nicole bounced back and forth on her feet slightly, shaking the nerves from her body. She squeezed Waverly’s hand in return. 

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” She said, repeating Waverly’s own words from earlier back to her. 

Waverly stood on her toes and kissed Nicole’s cheek before she turned and knocked on the door. 

The pair waited on the porch, passing smiles back and forth until Gus opened the door. 

“My babygirl.” Gus said with grin, opening her arms to the brunette and enveloping her in crushing hug. “Come here….. I’ve missed you.” She squeezed Waverly tight. 

“I’ve missed you too Gus.” Waverly laughed as she hugged the other woman back. 

The older woman pulled back from Waverly, rubbing her hands along Waverlys upper arms. 

Waverly took a step back and put her hand on Nicole’s lower back, nudging her forward slightly. 

“Gus, this is my girlfriend Nicole. Nicole this is my Aunt Gus.” Waverly introduced them, gesturing between the two women. 

Nicole wiped her hand on her pants leg before she laid it out in the space between them, offering it to Gus. 

“Nice to meet you mam” 

Gus chuckled at the nervous redhead before she swatted her hand away. 

“No mams around here girl, just Gus.” She joked as she pulled Nicole into a similar hug as she did Waverly moments before “and no handshakes either. It’s so nice to officially meet you.” 

Waverly beamed at the site before her as she watched her Aunt shake Nicole’s body with a hug, the redhead visibly relaxing. 

“Come on you two. Supper is ready.” Gus told them as she retreated back into the house. 

Nicole gave Waverly a dimpled smile, grabbing her hand as she led her inside. 

The trio sat down at the table together, each passing dishes to one another until all their plates were full with the dinner Gus had prepared. Nicole took a big bite of potatoes, eyes fluttering as she tasted them.

“Gus, this is so good.” She said as she wiped her mouth on her napkin. 

Gus placed her hand on Nicole’s and gave it a squeeze. 

“Thank you Nicole. I love to cook and with Waverly always busy working now, I don’t get to cook as much as I use too. I appreciate you guys coming over.” 

“Well that just means we’ll have to come visit more often huh?” Nicole replied. 

Waverly watched the two women make small talk as they ate, laughing at the jokes the other would make. 

If you asked Waverly ten years ago, hell even five years ago, where she thought she’d be now the last thing she would have said is the reality she was currently living. When she was little and she would huddle into Wynonna’s room with her as their parents would get into their routine screaming matches she would close her eyes and dream of family dinners together. Ones where they could all sit around and do what Gus and Nicole were doing right now. She thought once she got older that her and Wynonna could start a new tradition but then Wynonna started getting into trouble and during her second stint in juvie Waverly gave up the idea of ever having moments like she was currently in. Of course she had family dinners with Aunt Gus and Uncle Curtis but it never filled the moment she urned for. However right now watching as Nicole threw her head back at Gus’s joke, Waverly felt full. She felt content. She felt happy. She had imagined this moment over and over again and Nicole still blew it out of the water. In fact, every moment with Nicole was sweeter than anything she ever hoped she’d have. Nicole made her feel like the most important person in the world, when all Waverly had ever felt was left out. Nicole made her feel worthy of something as great as they had when Waverly always figured she’d have to settle for less because of who she was. Nicole made her feel happier than she ever imagined herself being allowed to feel and she loved her for it. 

Waverly choked on the food she had forgotten she was chewing at the realization. Gus patted her on the back as she coughed up the potatoes that were stuck in her throat. 

“Dang babygirl, you’re suppose to chew your food first you know.” Gus gave her a chuckle. 

“You okay baby? You need some more water?” Nicole asked with concern as she refilled the other woman’s glass. 

“I-“Waverly coughed, clearing her throat of the final remnants of food “I’m fine.” She said as she took a big gulp of water. “I’m fine. Sorry” Waverly waves the other women off. 

Nicole and Gus sat back into their chairs and resumed talking about whatever it was they were talking about before, Waverly was too busy freaking out to even know what was being discussed. 

She stared down at her plate of food, trying to make sense of what she had just realized. She loved Nicole. A smile crept to her face at the thought. She looked up to Nicole who met her eyes and winked. Yep, she was in love with Nicole Haught. 

—

The couple said their goodbyes to Gus and promised to come back for dinner again soon. They cooked into Nicole’s car and made their way back to Waverly’s house. Waverly was zoned out, staring out of the window when she felt a warm hand squeeze her thigh. She instinctively grabbed Nicole’s hand and wrapped her fingers in hers. 

“You sure you are okay babe? You’ve been really quiet since dinner.” Nicole asked. “Did something happen?” 

“No everything went great baby. Everything is fine.” Waverly insured, bringing their joined hands up to kiss Nicole’s knuckle. “I was just thinking.” 

“Anything you want to talk about?” 

Yes. There was definitely something Waverly at least needed to talk about, but did she want to? She knew she loved Nicole and she knew she had loved Nicole for a while but what was she supposed to do with that information? She knew she should probably tell Nicole but the thought of actually saying it aloud to the other woman terrified her and until she knew why she didn’t think she could say it so she decided to just keep it to herself. 

“No, it’s nothing.” Nicole didn’t look convinced but to Waverly’s relief she let it go. “So what do you want to do with the rest of our night?” Waverly asked. “Do you want to go out or something?” 

“Hmmmm” the redhead thought over the offer. “Actually if it’s okay with you, I’d much rather just stay at home and get drunk with you.”

Waverly loved the idea. As much as she loved going out on Nicole’s arm showing everyone that they are together, she loved spending alone time with her even more. 

“Am I going to be enough to keep you company?” Waverly asked, leaning over to the driver’s side of the car and pressing a kiss to Nicole’s cheek. 

Nicole grabbed Waverly’s chin with her hand and pulled her lips over to her own quickly. 

“There’s no one I have more fun with than you baby.” Nicole said, pressing another quick kiss to Waverly’s lips. “Now get on your side of the car before we wreck.” Lightly pushing Waverly back to her side of the car. 

—-

A few hours later Waverly sat on her bed, her back against the headboard with her legs bent at the knee as Nicole lazily laid with her back against Waverly’s front, her arms thrown over the outside of Waverly’s outstretched legs. 

The redhead sloppily brought the bottle of whiskey the two had been working on for the past hour to her lips and took another sip. 

“So what's your biggest fear?” Waverly asked as she placed soft kisses to Nicole’s outstretched neck. The whiskey having both women deep in conversation. 

“Frogs” the redhead said without hesitation. “Frogs are definitely my biggest fear.”

Waverly laughed at the strange fear of the seemingly indestructible detective. 

“Frogs?” Waverly joked as she placed a kiss behind Nicole’s ear “but they are so cute and little. What’s there to be afraid of?” 

Nicole shook her head against Waverly’s shoulder she had laid it on. “No, nah-uh” she slurred. She turned her head and looked at Waverly with a serious look. “Everyone always says ‘aw but they are so cute’” Nicole mocked, throwing her arms out “buuuut they aren’t baby. They are evil I’m telling you. They jump on you and they suck your soul out through the pads of their toes.” Nicole exclaimed, a look of disgust riddling her features as she theatrically explained her frog theory, making Waverly laugh. 

Waverly took the bottle from the half drunk redhead before she made a mess with it and took a swig of the warm liquid herself as she ran her hand up and down the middle of Nicole’s chest. 

“Okay, Okay” she said trying to calm the excited redhead. “Frog are evil. I got it.” Waverly laid a kiss on Nicole’s jaw. “I’ll protect you from all the frogs we come across. I promise.” Waverly holding up her pinky. 

Nicole took Waverly’s pinky with her own relaxed into Waverly’s kiss, smiling at the contact. She squeezed her leg with her arm. 

“Thank you baby.” 

Waverly took another swig from the bottle and handed it back to Nicole as she draped one of her arms down Nicole’s front and brought the other up to run her fingers through Nicole’s hair. 

“That’s not really what I meant though.” Waverly said. Nicole turned and looked up at her quizzically. “What’s something that really scares you? What’s something that scares you that only you know about?” 

Nicole looked away from Waverly and peered across the room, pausing for a moment. Waverly almost told Nicole not to answer it, thinking she had asked something too personal. 

“Being vulnerable” Nicole answered, bringing the bottle to her lips. “Being vulnerable is my biggest fear.” Nicole said with certainty. 

Waverly watched the woman as she drank from the bottle once more.

“What do you mean?” Waverly said, rubbing the side of her face against the top of Nicole’s head. 

“I just don’t like being vulnerable. Something about not being in control of myself or the situation around me makes me uncomfortable.” Nicole paused for a moment as if thinking of what to say next. “When I was growing up my parents were really the best parents you could have. They were always so supportive of everything I did and I never had to doubt that they would always protect me.” Nicole took a larger gulp from the bottle in her hand before continuing “so when I told them that I was gay I wasn’t even scared. I knew everything would be fine so you could say I was a little shocked when I ended up on the side of the street with nowhere to go that night.” 

Waverly’s heart clenched as she listened to Nicole tell her story, the thought of of a young Nicole scared without a place to go to almost bringing tears to her eyes. 

“I was vulnerable that night with my parents and I vowed that day that I would never leave my feelings in the hands of someone else again.” Nicole continued, handing the bottle back to Waverly. “And I hadn’t”

“Hadn’t?” Waverly’s ears peeking up at the word. 

“Yes, hadn’t.” Nicole nodded. “ I hadn’t let anyone else have any control of my feelings… until you.” 

The admission made Waverly’s heart race in her chest. She knew Nicole liked her obviously but she hadn’t realized what implications those feelings may have had for Nicole. She hadn’t fully realized the effect she could have on her. She brought the bottle up and took a long swallow. 

“So why me?” Waverly asked, a little nervous. 

Nicole gave a tipsy smile, turning her head to look at Waverly. 

“Because Waverly Earp. Even if you break my heart, the time you’ve given me would be worth it.” Nicole admitted, taking the bottle from where Waverly had it pressed to her mouth and drinking it. 

Waverly starred in admiration at the drunk redhead as she drank from the whiskey bottle. She was so thankful Nicole she opened up to her and told her all of this. She knew the alochol helped the redhead open up but she was glad she felt comfortable enough with her to do so. Waverly had a much harder time opening up than Nicole did and she wished it wasn’t like that. She wanted to tell her she loved her. It was the perfect time and the words were on the tip of her tongue, but she just couldn’t. Instead she just took the bottle from Nicole and sat it on the night stand despite protest from the other woman. 

“Come on drunky.” Waverly poked fun as Nicole, sitting back against the headboard and pulling Nicole tight against her. “We’ve both got work tomorrow.” 

The redhead groaned and turned around, lifting herself off Waverly slightly. Waverly scooted down the bed before laying flat on the bed. She wrapped her arms around Nicole’s neck and pulled her down into a passionate kiss, deepening it and hoping the kiss will tell Nicole everything she’s failing to say. 

Nicole pulled back from the kiss and exhaled, blowing a whiff of air into Waverly’s face that was nothing but Nicole and whiskey. 

“Wow” she said with a shaky breath. 

Waverly placed a hand onto Nicole’s cheek and looked deep into the brown irises of the redhead. 

“I would never hurt you Nicole.” Waverly exclaimed. 

“I know baby” Nicole said as she leaned into the touch. “And I’m starting to trust that.” 

Waverly pulled Nicole down onto her chest and ran her hands through Nicole’s hair as she listened to the redhead’s breathing deepen and even out, signifying she was asleep. 

She knew she would never hurt Nicole. She just hoped that her loving Nicole didn’t get Nicole hurt anyway.


	11. Chapter 11: A decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There’s a little bit of everything in this chapter. Wynonna has arrived. Smutish in the middle. And the end is just, well you’ll see.

Waverly sat in the doctor’s break room at the hospital in front of her laptop waiting for the call to go through. She had woken up to a text from Wynonna telling her to video chat her as soon as possible. Not wanting to waste her morning with Nicole before they both had to go to work she waited until the first break of her 24 hour shift to call her sister. 

Finally the video chat went through, opening up to Wynonna who wasn’t even looking at the screen. 

“Hey I can video chat where ever the fuck I want to my guy. Go drink your mocha chocolate whatever somewhere else if it bothers you so bad.” 

Waverly laughed as she watched the other woman yell at someone off screen. Yep, that was Wynonna. Her sister had always been a livewire, a force to be reckoned with and she loved her for it. 

“Wynonna” waverly exclaimed, snapping her fingers to get the other woman’s attention. 

Wynonna finally turned to face the camera and her face lit up in a wide smile. 

“Babygirl!” She screamed into the computer, making Waverly cringe. “Oh my God it’s so good to see your beautiful angelic face.” She sighed. “I’ve missed you so much.” 

“Yeah well you could have called a few more times this past month you know?” Waverly said with an accusatory tone. “I have missed you too” she said with a smile. 

“I know, I know. I’m a horrible sister and all that jazz.” Wynonna rolled her eyes. “I’ve been busy baby girl.” She tried to defend herself. “But you’re right. I should have called more.” 

Waverly didn’t want to make her sister feel bad, but she missed her when she would disappear like this and Waverly chad a hard time acting like it didn’t bother her. 

“It’s okay” Waverly lied, not wanting to ruin the time she was getting with her sister. “So What have you been doing? Where have you been? Anywhere special?” 

“Woah, slow down on the questions baby girl.” Wynonna held up her hands to slow Waverly down. “I’ve only got a few minutes to talk before I have to grab a plane” 

Waverly felt the disappointment spread throughout her, her smile faltering before she fakes it and pulls it back up. 

“Well where are you going now?” 

Wynonna smirked at Waverly. 

“Actually, I’m coming to you.” 

This time a genuine smile spread across Waverly’s face at the prospect of getting to actually see her sister in person instead of through a screen. 

“To me? Are you serious??” Waverly asked excitedly. 

“Yes to you.” Wynonna nodded. “My plane boards in five minutes and I’ll be on my way to Purgatory. I should be coming into town in a few days.” 

Waverly bounced up and down in her chair and clapped her hands. She couldn’t wait to see Wynonna and spend time with her. She also couldn’t wait to introduce her to Nicole. 

“Wy I’m so excited. We have so much to catch up on.” Waverly gave Wynonna a shy smile, looking down at her hands before looking back up into the camera. “I’ve actually got someone to catch you up on” 

Wynonna moved closer to the camera as if to get closer to Waverly, eyes widening. 

“Baby girl did you meet someone?” Wynonna exclaimed excitedly. 

Waverly nodded her head feverishly. “I met the best someone Wy. She’s so great. She’s sweet and chivalrous and kin-“ 

Wynonna cut her off, shaking her hands into the camera. 

“I don’t want to hear all that baby girl. I want the juicy details.” Wynonna said wiggling her eyebrows. “What’s she like in bed?”

Waverly blushed and looked around her, looking for anyone who may be listening even though she knew she was the only one in the room. 

“Wynonna” Waverly scolded her sister. “We uh- we haven’t actually, ya know?” 

“What?!” Wynonna said, raising her voice again. “You’ve been together how long and you haven’t had sex?” Asking as if Waverly had just told her the most shocking news she’s ever heard. 

“We’ve been together for three months” Waverly blushed. “And no, we haven’t had sex.” 

“Jeeeesus baby girl. Are we even related?” Wynonna joked. “I would have jumped her bones night one.” 

“Well I’m not you Wynonna.” Waverly chuckled. “We were taking it slow.” 

“Were taking?” Wynonna questioned with a raise of her eyebrow. 

“Yes, were, but I think I’m ready for that.” Waverly admitted. “I love her Wynonna” Waverly felt a feeling of relief flood over her as she admitted it out loud for the first time. 

“Wow baby girl.” Wynonna smiled “ I didn’t know it was that serious. Have you told her?” 

Waverly looked away, nervously fiddling with her hands. 

“No, I haven’t told her yet.” 

“Well what are you waiting for? Isn’t that some shout it from the rooftop type shit for normal people” Wynonna inquired, looking at Waverly curiously. 

Waverly wasn't sure how to put into words why she had been hesitant to tell Nicole her true feelings. She knew what she was feeling but felt stupid about it. However if anyone would understand, it’d be Wynonna. 

“I don’t know Wy.” Waverly said, sitting back in her chair. “I know I love her. I am completely in love with her. I’ve never felt this way before. It’s the greatest and most terrifying feeling I’ve ever had. It’s just-it’s just that what if something happens to her? Every time I love someone, something happens to them. Willa, Mama and Daddy, Uncle Curtis. Something bad always happens to the people around me and I can’t live without Nicole. I just can’t.” She said burying her head in her hands as tears came to her eyes. “I’m scared.” 

Waverly breathed in heavily as she tried to stop the onslaught of tears she knew were coming. She had been holding them back since yesterday. She rubbed the palms of her hands over her eyes to clear them before she looked back up at Wynonna. 

Wynonna stared back at Waverly, face serious and eyes full of compassion, almost glistening themselves. 

“Waverly” Wynonna sighed “Nothing that has happened to us has ever been your fault.” She shook her head “you’re the only one of us that’s worth anything and you deserve to be happy you hear me?” 

Waverly gave a tiny nod to Wynonna. 

“You deserve to be happy Waverly. If this girl makes you as happy as you seemed to be when you were talking about her, then you should tell her” she said, face painted serious “I can’t sit here and tell you that nothing is going to happen to this girl but you and I both know that anything can happen to anyone at anytime. You should spend that time with the people you love while you can.” Wynonna said, eyes distant now. 

Waverly heard the muffle of an announcement in the background of Wynonna’s computer before she saw her sister start to move. 

“I got to go baby girl” Wynonna gathered up her belongings and began to move “but seriously Waves, you need to tell the girl how you feel or you’ll regret it…. plus you need to go blow that girl’s mind. You’ve kept her waiting long enough.” 

Waverly gave her sister a hearty laugh. 

“You’re right, you’re right” she admitted. 

“Oh I know, do as I say baby girl. I’ll see you in a few days.” Wynonna offered a wave and with that the call ended. 

Waverly gathered up her laptop and put it back in her locker. She grabbed her cell phone and laid down on the bottom bunk of the beds the doctor’s had in the break room. She stared up at the top bunk above her and thought about what Wynonna had said. She was right. The sisters knew better than anyone that something could happen at any moment to anyone, even to her and Nicole, and she didn’t want to waste anymore of the time that they had together being scared. Whether it was a short amount of time or the rest of her life she got to spend with Nicole, Waverly was ready. 

Waverly smiled at the realization that she was finally ready to give herself, both physically and emotionally, to the redhead. Her body was buzzing with nerves and anticipation of the possibility of actually telling Nicole how she felt and exploring the more intimate parts of their relationship that they had yet to venture into. 

She pulled her phone out and started typing out a message to Nicole. 

-Hey baby. I hope you’re having a good day at work. I was just thinking about you. I want you to come stay with me tonight. I have something I want to talk to you about and something I am ready for us to do. Call me later.-

Waverly laid her phone down and closed her eyes for a moment, feeling completely at peace for the first time in a while. 

She was completely, totally in love with Nicole Haught and she was going to tell her. 

——-

Waverly popped her head out of the fridge as she heard the familiar knock on the door. She rushed over to it and opened it revealing her tall redhead on the other side. 

“Baby” she said as she pulled Nicole inside with her hand. She closed the door behind her and turned around to Nicole who was staring at her, eyes dark and pupils blown. Nicole backed Waverly against the door, taunt arms flexed against the door on either side of Waverly’s head. Waverly grabbed Nicole by her shirt and pulled the redhead to her, crashing their lips together. Wasting no time she pushed her tongue into Nicole’s eager mouth, swirling her tongue around the other woman’s. She moved her hands to Nicole’s ass and pulled her against her so their hips were flushed together. Nicole kissed down Waverly’s jaw before placing hot, open mouth kisses down the side of her neck. Waverly panted at the contact the redhead’s mouth was providing, letting out a small moan when she felt Nicole suck a small bruise on to her pulse point. She trailed her hands up to Nicole’s shoulders raking her nails down the skin there as Nicole reached down and squeezed Waverly’s ass with strong hands. Nicole lifted Waverly off the ground as Waverly instinctively wrapped her legs around the redhead’s waist. 

Never breaking the kiss she was laying to Waverly’s neck, Nicole carried Waverly over to the kitchen table, knocking off the papers that sat there onto the floor before she sat her down onto the top. She stood between Waverly’s legs as Waverly gripped onto Nicole with her legs and arms, pulling her in as close as possible. 

Nicole worked her mouth down towards Waverly’s chest before she reached down and pulled the brunette’s shirt above her head. Nicole hastily returned her mouth to Waverly’s chest as she undid her own bra, leaving herself bare chested for Nicole. The redhead moved down and took one of Waverly nipples into her mouth, removing one of her hands from Waverly’s ass to play with her other breast. Waverly let out a loud moan at the contact. She could feel Nicole everywhere and it set her entire body on fire, her skin wanting contact with Nicole on along every inch. She felt Nicole work her mouth down her stomach as the woman’s other hand came up to occupy the other breast. She leaned back onto her elbows as she wrapped her hands into Nicole’s hair. She pushed her head down further, closer to where her need was pounding. Nicole pulled back and snatched Waverly’s skirt down and off her legs, her underwear following suit. Waverly sat naked on the table, exposed for Nicole as the redhead stood tall, Waverly’s legs wrapped around her as she peered down at Waverly. She felt her body shiver with the look in the redhead’s eyes, one of desire and lust. Waverly pulled her legs back from around Nicole’s waist, placing the heels of both feet onto the edge of the table. She spread her legs as she stared at Nicole, putting herself fully on display for the redhead. Nicole audibly moaned at the sight as she took one of Waverly’s legs and brought her calf to her mouth. She placed a kiss there before she trailed her tongue towards Waverly’s knee. Waverly's chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath despite what her girlfriend was currently doing to her. Nicole paused at Waverly’s knee and pushed her other leg out wider with one of her hands. She continued her ministrations with her tongue as she worked towards Waverly’s throbbing center, continuing the trail up along the crease of Waverly’s thigh and pelvis. Waverly’s eyes fluttered closed, small moans pouring from her mouth. In that moment she felt a surge of emotional coarse through her. She needed to tell Nicole how she felt. She tugged at Nicole’s red locks until she met her eyes. 

“Nicole” Waverly panted “ Nicole I need to tell you” she said, trying to focus so she could get it out. “Nicole I-beep, beep, beep. 

Waverly furrowed her brow in confusion, trying to speak again. 

“Nicole, I- beep, beep, beep.” 

Waverly was jolted her from dream by the sounding of her pager. She was sweating and breathing heavily as she patted around the bed before retrieving the pager. She looked at it and read the page to the ER . 

She laid back down against the bed for a second, wiping her brow with her hand. She sat up and stretched, trying to shake her head free of the dream she was just in. 

“Whew.” Waverly breathed out a chuckle out to herself. “Maybe I have waited too long.” 

Waverly left the break room and made her way to the ER, blushing to herself as the dream she just had replayed through her head. She heard the commotion before she ever saw it, people screaming and wheels being scraped across nylon floors. She rounded the corner to reveal the source of the commotion, looking around wide eyed as she took in the mass chaos before her. 

She watched as two EMTs pushed in a gurney containing an unconscious, bleeding man. Another EMT pushing a separate gurney with a separate bleeding man, this one screaming in pain passed that one. She looked around frantically for a place to jump in and start helping. She spots an EMT working on the unconscious man and she decided to start there. She took three steps forward before she practically ran into Jeremy, or well until Jeremy ran into her. 

Waverly stumbled backwards a few feet before the small boy caught her. 

“What the hell Jeremy? What’s going on?” 

Jeremy looked at Waverly, face almost white and full of panic. 

“Wa-Waverly, where have you been?” He asked, voice shaking. “I’ve been paging you.” 

Waverly placed her hands on the boy’s arms to try and still him. 

“Jeremy calm down” she said, running her hands up and down “I was on break.” Waverly looked around as another pair of EMTs brought in another patient. “Now tell me what’s going on?” 

Jeremy looked back at the EMTs who had just entered the ER before turning back to Waverly as he tried to push her back. 

“Waverly you can’t be here right now” Jeremy said, voice full of dread. 

“What do you mean I can’t…” Waverly’s voice trailed off and her world began to spin as she looked passed Jeremy, her eyes landing on an unmistakable flash of red hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler*** Nicole isn’t going to die. I wouldn’t do that. Lol


	12. Chapter 12: Total Chaos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter starts with Waverlys POV in the moment and then flashes back to the incident in Nicole’s POV. More chapters coming today.

Waverly knew the world was moving around her. She could hear the muffled shouts that people were making at one another as they tried to make direction of the chaos. She knew that shoes were scuffing floors as people hurriedly moved around the hospital, she could see their blurred figures as they moved passed her. However all Waverly could focus on, the only thing she actually had a clear picture of, was the flash of red that was being wheeled across the ER floor. 

She felt her body move forward before she told it to, almost on instinct, it had to get to where Nicole lay on the gurney. She faintly registered arms trying to hold her back as she pushed through them. She felt like she was running but she couldn’t be sure, all she knows is she didn’t stop until her body bumped into the gurney. Waverly stared down at the figure below her. Nicole.

Her Nicole, covered in blood. Waverly couldn’t make out where the blood was coming from but she knew Nicole was unconscious, or at least she hoped she was just unconscious. She reached up with two trembling fingers to try and take a pulse. 

“Dr. Earp!” 

The shout from the nurse snapped Waverly out of her haze and brought the world rushing back to her. Waverly jolted at all the noises that loudly filled the room around her, making her want to cover her ears with her hands to muffle the sound once more. 

“Dr. Earp” the voice repeated. 

Waverly finally looked up from Nicole, as she searched for the source of her name. 

“Dr. Earp” the nurse snapped her fingers to garner Waverly’s attention. “We’ve got a gunshot wound to the left arm. Where do you want to start?” 

Gunshot wound. These words were the only ones that registered with Waverly. Nicole had been shot. She looked back down at the pale figure of the redhead once more, hands trembled as they gripped the rails of the gurney. She met the nurse's eyes, her mouth moving but nothing coming out. 

“Is sh-“ Waverly tried to speak, the words catching in her throat “wh-What happened?” She finally choked out.

“I don’t know what happened.” The nurse said. “All I know is we’ve got a gunshot victim here” she took in Waverly’s shaken demeanor. She had never known the girl to react like this, she was one of their best doctors. Finally it dawned on her. “Dr. Earp do you know this woman?” 

Waverly’s gaze never broke from Nicole as she reached down and tucked away some of the redhead’s matted hair, shaking when she pulled her hand back and it was painted with blood. She stared down at her hand for a moment until snapping fingers brought her focus back once more. 

“Dr. Earp do you know this woman?”

Waverly swallowed thickly, her bloodied hand shaking as she pointed to the redhead beneath her. 

“Y-Yes.” Waverly tried to nod, forcing her brain to make some sort of words. “This is- this is my- uh- Nicole.”

At that time Jeremy walked up to the gurney, addressing the nurse. 

“This is her girlfriend.” Jeremy answered 

“She can’t be here Dr. Chetri.” The nurse said, offering a sympathetic look to Waverly. “We can’t have her working in this state. “

Jeremy nodded at the nurse, he knew she was right. 

The words snapped Waverly out of her trance completely and brought her back to the situation in front of her. There was no way she was going to let them take Nicole while she waited and did nothing. 

“No.” Waverly snapped, causing the other two to turn and look at her. She shook her head adamantly, refusing to hear their protest. “No, you’re not- you’re not taking her away from me, no. I’m going to help.”

Jeremy knew his best friend was going to fight them on this, but there was no way he was going to let Waverly anywhere near the OR as they worked on Nicole. He nodded to the nurse to start wheeling the gurney away, watching as Waverly’s knuckles turned white on the metal bars refusing to let it move. 

Waverly felt Jeremy wrap his hand around hers and slowly pry her fingers off the gurney. She knew he was right. She couldn’t help Nicole, not like this, but she was terrified to leave her side. She had left not too long ago and look at what had happened. 

She watched as the gurney began to move, meaning Jeremy had removed her hand. She hadn’t noticed, her eyes never left Nicole. She knew she was still gripping something, but at this point she didn’t know nor care. 

Her breathing became more shallow as Nicole moved further away from her, the lights of the hospital intensified with each growing inch. She suddenly felt light headed, realizing she wasn’t breathing. Correction, realizing she couldn’t breath. She tried to take a deep breath to no avail as she brought her hand to her throat, the world feeling like it was perched on her chest. She looked up at Jeremy with panicked eyes as she started to hyperventilate. She realized she was having a panic attack. 

“Waves.” Jeremy snapped. “Waves you’re having a panic attack. You’ve got to calm down” 

Jeremy knelt down to where Waverly didn’t even know she was sitting on the floor. She felt him run his hand up and down her back to try and get her to calm down. This wasn’t the first time she had experienced a panic attack. They were actually quite common when she was younger. She breathed through her nose a few times and exhaled out of her mouth. She felt Jeremy wrap his arms around her, squeezing her tight against him. She felt her breathing even at the contact, her brain coming back into her control. 

“There you go. Great job Waves” Jeremy said, letting Waverly free of his grip once he felt her body stop shaking. He helped her up and guided her over to the staff break room, sitting her down in one of the chairs. He knelt down in front Waverly so he could meet her line of sight. 

“I want you to stay here. I’m going to go see if I can figure out what’s going on and help.” Jeremy said, placing a reassuring hand on Waverly’s shoulder. “She’s going to be fine Waves. Don’t worry.” And with that he darted out of the door. 

Waverly felt like a zombie, she felt dead inside. She knew from her blurred vision that tears were running down her face but she couldn’t even bring herself to blink them away. All Waverly could do was sit motionless and stare at the wall, her mind running wild over what had just happened. 

——

-Hey baby. I hope you’re having a good day at work. I was just thinking about you. I want you to come stay with me tonight. I have something I want to talk to you about and something I am ready for us to do. Call me later.-

Nicole reread the text message, her heart beat picking up as she read the last part of the paragraph. A grin broke across her features as she knew it could only mean one thing. Waverly Earp was ready take their relationship to this next level.

She started to type out a reply when her jacket hit her in the face, breaking her from the text she was typing. 

“What the hell Dolls?” She exclaimed with furrowed brows as she looked up at the Marshall waiting by the door. 

“Haught we’ve got to go, come on.” Dolls said, stalking out of the room. 

Nicole threw her phone down on her desk and hurriedly got out of her chair. She swung her jacket around her, putting it on as she jogged to catch up with Dolls. 

“Dolls what’s going on?” Nicole questioned as she finally met his stride. 

Dolls pushed out of the Sheriff’s office, Nicole following behind. He stalked across the parking lot towards his car. 

“We’ve got to go. Steve just called. The drop got moved up and they are meeting at the warehouse in 30 minutes. We’ve got to get over there and set up before they show.” Dolls answered as he pulled the car door open and jumped into the driver’s seat. 

Nicole did the same as she climbed into the passenger’s seat, buckling herself in. 

“Shouldn’t we bring back-up?” Nicole asked. The original plan had been to take a few of Purgatory's local officers with them on the stakeout and she knew they would need them. 

Dolls shook his head as he started the car down the highway. 

“We don’t have time Haught. I’ve got our vest in the back.” He said, signaling to the back of the car with his hand. “It’s just going to have to be me and you.” He said, looking at Nicole wearily. “You down for that?” 

Nicole smirked at him. She was always ready to jump into the chaos. Everyone loved to call her reckless for it, but at times like this it paid off. 

“Fuck yes.” 

—-

Nicole and Dolls arrived at the warehouse 15 minutes later. They strapped up their vest and checked their gear. Once satisfied with everything they moved inside to take their positions. Dolls was going to take one end of the warehouse while Nicole took the other. Once the supplier arrived to make the drop, the pair were going to jump out and have them surrounded on both ends. At least, that was the plan. 

Nicole crouched behind some old warehouse machinery as she waited. Her ears perked at the sound of gravel beneath moving tires. She unlocked the safety of her gun as she repositioned herself to get a better look at the entrance. She watched as two figures walked through the doors of the warehouse. She couldn’t quite make out their faces, their hoods pulled atop their heads. She went to move closer when she heard a small whistle behind her. She slowly turned around and saw Steve right as he brought the butt of his gun down onto her head and then everything went black. 

Nicole’s eyes fluttered open as she woke. She winced at the light that was poking in from outside. Her head was pounded and she smelled the coppery scent of blood. She tried to bring her hand up to check her head, but the ties around her hands stopped her. She slowly lifted her pounding head up to take in the room around her. She could make out two figures by the entrance, peering outside as if watching for someone. She could make one of the figures out as Steve. She gritted her teeth at the sight of the man. The other figured turned and looked at Nicole, letting out a smirk at the woman. 

“Boss” he yelled. “She’s up.” 

A different figure, one of the hooded ones from before, caught her eye as they came around the entrance to the warehouse. They were wearing a mask to guard their face. The other hooded figure followed in behind, masked just the same. 

“Well, well, Well” the masked individual said, making their way over to Nicole and stopping just before her. “Did you come to join the party?” 

Nicole blinked away the darkness that threatened to consume her once more, taking in the tall towering make of the figure before her.

“Yeah well I did receive an invite.” Nicole quipped. She knew she probably shouldn’t anger the man but she was already at a disadvantage.

“Ahh yes” The person chuckled “your arrangement with Steve over there.” 

Steve turned around at the mention of his name and waved at Nicole. She was going to kill him. 

“Yeah Steve told me all about your deal.” The person continued. “He told me about how you took out three of my distributors and planned to take me out as well.” 

The person knelt down beside Nicole and peered into her eyes. 

“But that’s not going to happen Detective.” He pulled his gun from behind his back and played with the safety, switching it off. “You see,” they continued, reaching up to touch Nicole’s face as she squirmed away from the hand. “Purgatory is my town now” they grabbed Nicole’s neck and pulled her closer so they could whisper in her ear so only she could hear “And that girl of yours that Steve talks about so much will be mine as well” 

Nicole felt her heart hammer in her chest at the mention of Waverly. She clenched her jaw and pulled her head back, slamming it into the person’s nose making them stumble backwards. The quick movement of her head with the added pressure from the crushing blow made her dizzy, her eyes rolling back for a second before she regained her composure. 

“I’m going to kill you mother fucker.” She shouted through gritted teeth at Steve, shaking her wrist as she tried to get free. 

The figure popped up from the ground and clapped their hands. 

“Wheww” the person exclaimed excitedly “Now THAT’S the fire Steve mentioned you had.” He rubbed his nose with his hand and rolled his neck. “That was a good one detective. There’s just one problem.” He said as he pointed the gun at Nicole. “ You won’t be around for that.” 

Nicole saw the two men at the door fall before she ever heard the gunshots. Another bullet whizzed passed the person’s head with a narrow miss as it planted itself in the metal behind them. The figure ducked before turning back to Nicole and raising the gun again, finger on the trigger

“Wait” the until then silent masked partner shouted “Wait boss, you need to get out of here” they said as they pushed their partner and tried to take the gun from their hands. “You need to go, i've got this.” The boss snarled and let out a groan before handing over the firearm to the other person and darting off. 

Nicole looked deep into the eyes of the masked figure, silently looking for mercy. She swears she sees a flash of remorse pass over their eyes but then she watches as the fire blast explodes out of the end of the barrel. The figure gone once her vision has cleared. 

She knew she had been hit as soon as she saw the other person pull the trigger but she couldn’t really feel it with her adrenaline pumping. 

“Haught!” Dolls yelled as he ran over to Nicole and started undoing her hands. “Haught are you okay? Where are you hit?” He ask, removing the final restraints tied to Nicole. 

Nicole heard Dolls talking as he undid the ropes but she couldn’t concentrate on him. Her body was consumed with rage as she watched Steve whither on the ground in pain. When she felt her hands finally break free she got up and made her way over to the screaming man. She felt Dolls grab her arm a jolt of pain coursing through her entire body st the action, it would have knocked her down if she wasn’t being fueled with pure white hot fire. 

She nearly dives onto the man on the ground as she wrapped her hands around his neck. She could feel the pain pulsing through her arm as she tightened her grip but she wasn’t going to let that stop her, her focus only in one thing.

“What did I tell you, you sonofabitch?” Nicole screamed, reaching back and punched the man in the nose. “I told you not to speak of her again.” She said, reaching back and crushing her fist into him again. “Now I’m going to enjoy killing you, you mother fucker.” She continued as she wrapped her hand back around Steve’s neck, gripping as hard as she could. 

A sinister grin broke across her face as she watched the man below her turn blue as he clawed at her hands to try and gain release. She gripped tighter until she felt arms wrap around her and drag her off. 

“Haught what are you doing?” Dolls yelled as he pulled Nicole off the nearly unconscious man. 

Nicole pulled against Dolls’s arms as she tried to get back over to Steve, but Dolls was too strong as he successfully pinned her back. 

Being stilled by the arms behind her, Nicole took a moment to breath. As she exhaled she felt her adrenaline begin to wear off and her pain spike. She could now tell she was shot in the arm by the amount of searing pain that was bolting up and down it. She feels the world start to spin around her before she is consumed by blackness once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crazy Nicole is so fun to write!


	13. Chapter 13: A reconciliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so here’s this. For some reason I struggled writing this chapter so it’s not the strongest. It’s nothing but feelings so that’s probably why. I may get out another today but no promises. It’s going to be a long one so I’m not sure if I’ll get finished. Thanks for the kudos and comments!!

Nicole’s eyes fluttered open, pulling herself from darkness. She squinted her eyes as the hospital lights illuminated into them and blurred her vision. She felt someone lean against the bed beside her as she tried to blink the clouds from her vision so she could make out who it was. 

“Waves” she whispered out. 

“Nope” a husky voice said, Nicole finally making out Dolls’s figure as he stood by her bed.

“Ughhh, you’re a lot less pretty than what I expected to be waking up to” Nicole groaned out “Where’s Waverly?” 

“I’m glad you still have your humor” Dolls chuckled “I sent her to go get you some water for when you wake up” Dolls said. “She needed to get up and move. She hasn’t left your bedside since you got out of surgery three hours ago. The girls a wreck.”

Nicole’s face fell with worry as she thought about what Waverly must have been through the last few hours. She moved to sit up when she felt pain radiate through her body. 

“Ahh what the hell?” She hissed, looking over at her arm, taking in the wrapped appendage as the memory of being shot flooded back into her conscious. 

“You got shot in the arm, Nicole.” Dolls explained “and you got a pretty nasty concussion” 

Nicole felt the concussion before Dolls told her she had one, the pain from her arm traveling to her pounding head. 

She laid her head back against the pillow and brought her one good arm up to cover her eyes as she waited for the pounding to stop. 

“What the hell happened Dolls?” Nicole said, removing her arm from her face. “I only remember bits and pieces. This wasn’t supposed to go like this” 

“Well obviously we were setup.” Dolls said with a clenched jaw. “They jumped you, assuming you were the only one there. They knocked you unconscious and tied you up. I tried to get to you but before I could one of their guys shot you.” Dolls explained, voice thick with remorse. He should have gotten to Nicole before that happened. Better yet he should never led her in there. 

“Hey, it’s not your fault.” Nicole said, placing a reassuring hand over Dolls’s “without you I’d be dead” 

Dolls swallowed and cleared his throat, shaking his head at Nicole. 

“Actually without that guy’s terrible aim you’d be dead. I’m not sure how he missed you at point blank range. Anyway, both of the Banditos guys survived so we will definitely have some more entail from them. You’ll obviously be taking some time off for the next….”

Dolls voice trailed off into the distant as Nicole thought about what Dolls said for a second, trying to recall the moment before she was shot. She couldn’t remember everything that happened but she could remember their eyes. 

“What if they didn’t miss?” Nicole asked. 

Dolls looked at her quizzically, caught off guard by the question. 

“What do you mean what if they didn’t miss?” 

Nicole was about to answer when she sees Waverly appear in the door. The brunette stands frozen in the doorway, staring at Nicole. Her eyes were bloodshot and swollen, tell-tale signs she had been crying. 

Waverly moved as she darted across the room and flung herself onto Nicole, being mindful of her shoulder. Dolls backed his way out of the room to give the two some time. 

Nicole wrapped her good arm around Waverly’s shoulders and pulled her to her as close as she could with one arm. Waverly leaned up and pressed a searing kiss to Nicole’s lips, making her head pound in a way she didn’t mind as much. Relief flooded her body as she tasted Waverly again, something she wasn’t sure she’d get to do just a few hours earlier. 

She chased Waverly’s lips as the brunette pulled back away from them, keeping them inches apart from Nicole’s. She watched as Waverly’s bottom lip started to quiver and her eyes glassed over. 

“Wh-what happened?” Waverly choked out, staring deep into Nicole’s eyes and running her hand over Nicole’s cheek. 

Nicole didn’t really want to tell Waverly all the details but she knew she couldn’t lie to her. 

“Dolls and I had a stake out today that ended up being a setup instead.” Nicole explained, leaning into the brunette’s touch. 

Waverly craned her neck away from Nicole and gave her a harsh look. 

“Where was your backup Nicole?” Waverly asked, pulling out of Nicole’s arm completely. 

Nicole winced at Waverlys question as she rubbed the back of her neck with her good hand. She knew Waverly wouldn’t be happy with her explanation but she had to tel she. 

“Well…. we didn’t have any” Nicole said in a hushed whisper, looking up at Waverly with a guilty look. She knew going into the situation just her and Dolls was stupid but going into things solo was something she was just use to, almost second nature at this point. 

Waverly paused for a second, anger rushing through her features as her chest and neck turned a bright shade of red. She pulled back and slapped Nicole on her good arm. 

“What the hell Nicole?” She scoffed. “You went in without backup?”

Nicole flinched at the reaction from Waverly. She knew the girl was going to be mad that they had acted so carelessly, but she didn’t expect this. 

“It’s just kinda how it happened.” Nicole explained with a shrug of her shoulder, watching as the explanation didn’t do anything to deter Waverly’s anger. If anything Nicole just doused fuel onto the fire with the half hearted response. 

The brunette began to pace back and forth against the length of Nicole’s bed, arms crossed over her chest. 

“You can’t just run into places without backup Nicole.” Waverly exclaimed, voice raising an octave as she stopped by the head of Nicole’s bed and peered down at her, eyes full of tears that were threatening to fall out. “ Baby you could have died. Did you even think about yourself before you ran in there? Did you think about me, about us?”

Nicole was hit with a rush of guilt as she watched Waverly begin to cry in front of her. Waverly was right. Nicole hadn’t thought of her at all before she just went into that building. She was so use to being alone that she forgot she wasn’t anymore. She forgot more people cared about her than just her aunt. Up until now she had spent her life keeping everyone at an arm's distant but now that she has Waverly, she has more than just herself to think about. 

“But I’m fine baby. It was only in the arm. Through and through.” Nicole saying anything she can to try and calm the brunette down, reaching out for Waverly as she backed away from Nicole’s outstretched hand. 

“Only in the arm, Nicole?” Waverly said, yelling now. “It was only in the arm this time but what about next time, hm?” Waverly’s resolve breaking in front of her heavy tears started to pour from her eyes and her voice began to break. “What about next time?” She said, slapping Nicole’s arm again. “What are you going to do when it’s the chest next time? What happens when it’s not just a shot in the arm Nicole? What happens when you die? What am I supposed to do?” Waverly panicked, sobs raking her body now. “You can’t just walk into my life like this and then leave me. What happens to me if you leave? What am I supposed to do without you? ” She choked out, her chest heaving up and down. 

Nicole reached out and grabbed Waverly’s arm, the brunette finally letting her pull her over to her as she buried her face into Nicole’s chest. Nicole wrapped her arm around Waverly as she pulled her shaking body close to her. 

“Shh baby” Nicole said soothingly as she kissed the top of Waverly’s head and ran her hand up and down the smaller woman’s back. “It’s okay. I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere. I’m sorry okay? Everything will be alright.”’

“I can’t lose you Nicole.” Waverly sobbed into Nicole’s chest. 

“You’re not baby.” Nicole assured her. “I’m not going anywhere. You never have to lose me” 

Nicole rubbed Waverly’s back until she calmed down. Clearly exhausted from the days events, Nicole forced Wavelry to climb into the bed with her and rest, the brunette quickly falling asleep. She hated seeing Waverly like this, it hurt worse than the gunshot wound and she was sick to her stomach that she was the reason. She ran her free hand through Waverly’s brown locks as she felt her chest rise up and down against hers, taking solace in the motion. She didn’t know what the future would bring but she knew she’d do anything to keep from seeing Waverly like this again. 

With Waverly wrapped securely around her and sleeping, Nicole laid her head back and let herself succumb to the exhaustion of the day. 

—  
Nicole woke a few hours later to an empty bed. She tried to sit up but stopped by the tube running to her arm. She hadn’t had time to notice earlier, with Waverly in the room and everything that was going on, but now she couldn’t focus on anything but all the machines that were seemingly tying her down to the bed, controlling her movements. Panic began to rise in her chest, her heart monitor picking up in speed. Her eyes darted around the room for Waverly but the brunette was nowhere to be found. She could feel her breathing quickened as she tried to sit up again only for her arm to snag on something behind her. She gritted her teeth as she successfully removed the needle that was preventing her from moving, she tossed it to the side. She knew she shouldn’t be doing what she was doing but all she could focus on was getting out of the bed they had her pinned down to. 

A nurse rushed into Nicole’s room to see the panicked detective trying to pull her drips out of her arms as she sat up on the edge of the bed. She rushed over to her to try to stop her, but the redhead just swatted her arm away and continued to work. 

“Detective Haught you can’t do that.” The nurse said with a stern voice, paging for backup. 

Nicole ignored the nurse and continued to work her arm flailing by her side coursing pain through her body. 

The nurse moved to Nicole and tried to push her back down onto the bed. She struggled as she worked to get the panicked officer to lay down. 

As Nicole attempted to stand up against the nurse, Waverly walked into the room and took in the scene before her. 

“Nicole” Waverly said, fear laced in her words. She walked over and put her hands on Nicole’s shoulder to help the nurse but the redhead didn’t even stop to look at her as she continued to try and get up. Nicole needed to get out of the bed before her heart exploded. 

“If you can’t calm her down Dr. Earp, we are going to have to sedate her” The nurse warned.   
“She’s going to hurt herself.” 

Nicole couldn’t hear anything going on around her as her pulse beat into her ears drowned out any other noise. Her hands were shaky and her vision blurred. She felt familiar hands grip the sides of her face and pull her head upwards. Her wild eyes met Waverly’s soft brown ones and she felt her heart slow down just a beat as she focused on the brunette. 

“Baby” Waverly cooed, her words calming Nicole even though her face was etched with concern. “Breathe baby.” Waverly inhaled deeply as Nicole closed her eyes and did the same. She held it for a moment before releasing a strangled breath. 

Nicole opened her eyes and peered at Waverly, the brunette’s presence calming her down enough so she could think. 

“I have to get out of this bed Waverly.” Nicole pleaded, trepidation clouding her eyes. “You gotta get me out of here baby. Please.” Nicole said, gripping Waverly’s wrist. 

Nicole wasn’t sure why but she knew couldn’t be in that room anymore. She felt completely out of control laying in that bed with nurses coming in every hour to check on her. She couldn’t sit up by herself, they wouldn’t let her try to walk, she couldn’t breath. All she knew was that she needed to get out of there so she could gain control of herself again. 

Waverly furrowed her brow at the redhead, eyes strained on her as she seemed to contemplate something for a moment. She ran the pads of her thumbs over Nicole’s cheeks on either side. 

“Let me see what I can do okay?” Waverly said as she kissed Nicole’s forehead “ but right now you’ve got to get back in this bed and let the nurse hook you back up.” 

Nicole started to shake her head before Waverly stilled it.

“I’m going to get you out of here Nicole.” Waverly assured her. “But they’ll never let you go if you are acting like this so you’ve got to get back up there.” 

Nicole paused for a moment and stared at Waverly, trying to find the decet in her eyes. However all she was met with was compassion and trust. She nodded her head at Waverly and let the nurse help her back into the bed. She apologized to the nurse as she watched Waverly retreat from the room. 

Once she was hooked up properly again the nurse left the room, leaving Nicole to herself. She laid back and tried to breathe while she reminded herself that the tubes hooked to her arms weren’t chains. 

At some point she must have drifted off to sleep because the next thing Nicole felt was Waverly brushing her hair behind her head as she looked down on her, smile stretched across her face

“Now this is what I thought I’d be waking up to.” Nicole smirked, bringing Waverly’s hand to her mouth and placing a kiss on her palm. 

Waverly offered Nicole a chuckle as she intertwined her fingers around Nicole’s. 

“Feeling better baby?” Waverly ask. 

“Much” Nicole said as she laid her head back with a sigh. “But I still want to get out of here” 

Waverly went over to the small table in the room and grabbed a bunch of forms, bringing them over to the bed.

“ I think these will help with that” Waverly said, handing the forms over to Nicole. 

Nicole quickly thumbed through the pile of paperwork, confused by what Waverly was trying to tell her.

“I’m taking you home with me Nicole. You’re getting discharged in a few hours” Waverly said, Nicole popping her head back up to stare at Waverly with bewilderment at the statement. 

“Wh-How-How do you manage this?” Nicole ask as she reads through the pap sees again, trying to make sense of them. 

“Well Baby” Waverly leaned down wrapped a hand around Nicole’s head as she pressed a kiss to it. “That’s just the perks of having a doctor as your girlfriend. The hospital has agreed to release you under my care so long as you sign all these papers saying you won’t sue them if you die” Waverly said with a chuckle. 

Nicole looked up at Waverly, tears almost swelling in her eyes that Waverly would go through the trouble to do this for her. Most people thought her problem with being vulnerable was silly but Waverly didn’t even question it. 

“Thank you baby” Nicole said, leaning into Waverly’s embrace “but I can’t ask you to do this” she gestures with the paperwork “to take care of me.”

Waverly pulled back from Nicole and turned Nicole’s head towards her, meeting her eyes with a serious look. 

“You’re not asking me Nicole, I’m telling you.” She said as she cocked her eyebrow. “I’ve already taken the next week off work and I’m taking you home with me” 

Nicole leaned up and pressed her lips to Waverly’s, placing her hand on her head and pulling her closer to her. She poured her appreciation into the kiss as she deepened it, only stopping when Waverly put a hand on her chest and pushed her away slightly. 

“Wow” Waverly breathed our, eyes fluttering for a moment. “Okay, let’s pause on that for a moment and fill out these papers so we can resume that later.” 

“I really am sorry Waverly.” Nicole offered. 

“I know baby, and we’re going to talk about it. Right now I just want to get you home.” Waverly retorted. 

Nicole beamed up at Waverly as she took the papers from her hands. She watched as Waverly for the papers in order, retrieving a pen from the table before handing them both over to Nicole. She smiled down at Nicole and the redhead felt her heart hammer in her chest again. She couldn’t wait to get home.


	14. Chapter 14: A first time for everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wheww. Sorry for the hiatus folks but this chapter took a while to write. I wanted to make sure I got it right. The title of the chapter pretty much explains it all.

Waverly walked into her apartment and propped the door open behind her to make it easier for the duo behind her. She hurried to her room to get things ready for Nicole. Waverly pulled back the covers on the bed, making room so Nicole could lay under them and placed a few of her extra pillows in a stack off to the side for Nicole’s arm. 

She was placing two pillows against the headboard for Nicole to lay back on when she heard Dolls heavy footsteps behind her. 

The man had his arm wrapped around Nicole’s waist as she had her good arm tossed around his shoulders. Waverly could tell Nicole was leaning all of her weight onto the other man as he strained to pull her into the room while Nicole’s feet just dragged across the floor. 

“How strong were those pain pills they gave her Earp? Dolls said through gritted teeth as he grabbed Nicole by the waist and placed her carefully on the bed. 

“Actually not strong at all, it just seems that Nicole is a little sensitive to them.” Waverly answered, reaching over and carefully holding Nicole’s bandaged arm before placing it down gently on the pillow. Dolls reached under her shoulders and scooted her up until she was sitting against the headboard 

Waverly watched as Nicole reached and grabbed Dolls’s head before he could lean back up. 

“Mmmm” the redhead said, a smile breaking across her face as she rubbed his head. “You’ve got pretty hair.”

Dolls pulled back from Nicole and stood up straight, brushing his head with his hand. Waverly tried to stifle a laugh as he walked passed her towards the door. 

“Good luck with that.” He gestured over to Nicole ,who was making wide eyes at the hand she was holding in front of her face, before leaving the room. 

“Yeah, thanks” Waverly murmured. She walked back over to the bed and pulled one of Nicole’s feet into her lap before she started to undo the laces of her boot. 

“Ahhhhhh” Nicole shrieked. “Oh my god you scared me” she said as she flopped her hand onto her chest in dramatic fashion. “I didn’t even see you come in. ”

Waverly chuckled at the redhead’s antics as she slipped the shoe off her foot and placed it onto the floor beside the bed. She went to grab for the other foot when Nicole bent at the knee and snatched it away. 

“Heyyyyy” Nicole said with a stern look on her face. “Those are my booots.” 

Waverly rolled her eyes and pulled Nicole’s foot back into her lap, undoing the laces the same as before. 

“I know they are your boots” she said as she pulled the other shoe off and placed in onto the ground. She stood up off the bed and laid Nicole’s feet back downinto her spot. “But this is my bed and I don’t want your shoes on it.” 

Nicole stared at her wiggling toes before looking up at Waverly with a smile. 

“It’s okay baby.” Nicole said as she extended her good arm out for Waverly. “You can have my boots. You can have whatever you want as long as as it’s what your big beautiful heart desires.” 

Waverly felt herself blush as she grabbed the redhead’s hand and let Nicole pull her over to her. Even high as a kite, Nicole could make Waverly’s heart melt. 

Waverly leaned down and placed a lingering kiss to Nicole’s forehead. 

“You’re too sweet to me” Waverly murmured into Nicole’s forehead. Waverly tried to lean back up but Nicole’s hands on the back of her head stopped her. 

Nicole pulled her down and pressed her lips to Waverly’s in searing kiss. Waverly braced her body on the bed beside Nicole as the redhead deepened the kiss. Waverly melting into Nicole as the her taste filled her mouth and her hands moved down Waverly’s back. She felt Nicole swipe her tongue across her bottom lip making her eyes flutter slightly. 

Waverly was caught up in the unexpected kiss, her head swimming at the contact until she felt a hand squeeze her ass. She placed one hand onto Nicole’s chest and pushed her back softly while she used her other hand to pull Nicole’s off of her. 

“Woah grabby hands” Waverly playfully scolded making Nicole poke her bottom lips out in a pout. “The doctor said you should be resting.” 

Nicole leaned back up and pressed their lips together again before pulling back slightly. 

“Yeah but I think my doctor likes it.” Nicole said with a smirk. 

Waverly felt her chest warm at Nicole’s flirting. How did she still have this much game right now? 

“Yeah your doctor does” Waverly smiled against Nicole’s mouth “but you still have to rest.” 

With that Waverly pulled away from Nicole, despite the other woman’s protest. She helped Nicole work herself down against the headboard until she was lounging against it at a more comfortable position. She pulled the folded covers from the end of the bed and placed them over Nicole. She leaned back down and placed a quick kiss on Nicole’s lips, observing that the redhead’s eyes were already near closed. She started out of the room when she felt Nicole grab her wrist. 

“Wh-where are you going?” Nicole asked mid yawn. 

“I’m going to let you rest baby.”

Nicole lazily shook her head no and gently pulled Waverly back towards her. 

“Nah-uh. Stay here” Nicole said, eyes drooping shut. “I’ll rest better” 

Waverly agreed and climbed into the bed beside Nicole. She sat up next to her and pulled her head onto her chest as she wrapped her arm around the redhead’s shoulders. Nicole flopped her hand up onto Waverly’s chest and tapped it with her knuckles until Waverly got the hint and wrapped her hand into Nicole’s, pulling them down to rest on her leg. 

Waverly felt Nicole’s breathing deepen as her body relaxed into her own. She pulled the redhead tighter against her and placed her nose against her head before inhaling deeply, breathing in Nicole and letting her scent flow through her body. She smelled like vanilla, one of Waverly’s favorites, and she would never get tired of it. 

Knowing that Nicole was finally asleep, Waverly moved to get out of bed when she heard a small whimper. She watched Nicole’s eyes dart around behind her closed lids as she dreamed. She felt Nicole’s chest move faster as her breathing got more rapid and her grip tightened on her hand. This was something Nicole did often when they’d sleep. Waverly knew they were nightmares but Nicole never remembered them when she woke up. However this time she suspected she knew which one was playing in her head. 

She brought her free hand up and ran it through Nicole’s hair while she ran the thumb of her other back and forth over Nicole’s knuckle, softly shushing Nicole to try and coax her back to sleep. 

Eventually Waverly felt Nicole’s breathing deepen again, her chest slowing down as her grip relaxed.

Waverly wanted to get up so she could get her house more in order before Nicole woke up but with Nicole finally sleeping soundly beside her she knew she wasn’t going to be able to make herself pull away. 

She sat back and watched the repeadative motion of Nicole’s chest as it slowly moved up and down in tune to her breathing. She reached the arm that was draped around Nicole’s shoulder further towards her and placed it over Nicole’s heart, feeling it beat under her hand. The faint feeling reassuring her that the moment is real. That Nicole was alive and safely breathing in her bed. That she hadn’t left her like everyone else. 

Waverly sat like that, staring at Nicole as she slept with a hand placed over her beating heart until the rhythm lulled her to sleep. 

——

Waverly woke with a startle as she heard a knock on the door, she hadn’t even realized she fell asleep. She looked down at Nicole still sleeping, noting how peaceful she looked. Not wanting to wake her, Waverly slowly pulled her arm from around Nicole and unwrapped their fingers. She slid out of bed and went to answer the door. 

When she pulled the door back she saw Gus standing on the other side holding tupperware containers in her hand. 

“Hey babygirl” she greeted. “I heard about Nicole. I brought you some food.” She gestured the containers towards Waverly. “I figured you needed one last thing to have to worry about.” 

“Aw Gus, you didn’t have to do that.” Waverly took the containers from Gus’s hands and ushered her inside. She walked over to the kitchen counter and put the soup down. She reached up and pulled the coffee down from the cabinet before pouring out a portion into a filter. 

“Let me uh” Waverly said fiddling with the coffee machine. “Let me just get this started and I’ll pull down some bowls for us.” 

“No, no, no” Gus said with a wave her hand. “No Waverly, you’ve got your hands full here already. I just came by to drop that off and see how you were doing.” 

Waverly turned the pot on and turned to face Gus. She could see the concern on her face. 

“I’m as good as I can be I guess.” Waverly answered honesty. That was the thing about Gus. Waverly might be able to fake things for everyone else, but Gus knew her too well. Waverly couldn’t hide from her. “Nicole is asleep in the bedroom. She’s got a nasty wound but the accident wasn’t as bad as it could have been so there’s that I guess.” Waverly offered with a shrug. Waverly didn’t feel much optimism at the moment but at the very least she had that. 

Gus walked over and wrapped Waverly in a hug. Waverly felt her resolve crack for a moment before she brought herself back together, wrapping her arms around Gus and taking solace in the familiar feeling. 

“I’m sorry this happened baby girl” Gus gave a Waverly a little squeeze before she released her.

“Yeah, I am too” Waverly said softly. “I’m just grateful that she’s okay.” 

“Me too” Gus agreed. “I guess we were owed at least one, huh?” 

Gus joked but Waverly could see the sadness in her eyes as she tried to play it off with a chuckle. Gus had been through just as much as Waverly had. She knew the woman feared losing people just like she did, even though she didn’t talk about. After all, how do you put into words that you feel like everyone you love is in constant danger just from being associated with you? In her sound mind Waverly knew this wasn’t true, but like Gus she had seen too much, been through too much to convince her full self that wasn’t the case. 

“Yeah” Waverly said with a small smile. “Yeah I guess you’re right.” 

“Well I guess I best be going” Gus moved towards the door as Waverly followed behind her. 

“Thank you again for all this” Waverly pressed a quick kiss to Gus’s cheek. 

“No problem baby girl. Just take care of the two of you and call me if you need me okay? ” 

Waverly nodded and watched Gus make her way down the porch before she turned back. 

“And Waverly, don’t be scared to appreciate her while she’s here.” Gus offered. With that she walked towards her car. 

Waverly closed the door and walked back into the kitchen. She made herself a cup of coffee, letting the steam roll over her face before she took a sip. She placed her coffee back down and turned to get two bowls down from the cabinet above her. She is pouring some soup into the second bowl when Nicole walks into the kitchen. 

“Nicole!” Waverly scolded, putting down the bowls of soup as she glared at the redhead walking through the kitchen. “You’re not suppose to be up and walking around.”

Nicole held her hand up in surrender at Waverly. She walked over to her and leaned against the counter beside her. 

“Waverly I’m fine. It was just a shot in th-“ Nicole stopped herself before she continued, Waverly’s tight lipped frown making her think about what she was about to say next. “—I uhh. I mean, I wasn’t shot in the leg. I can walk baby.” 

Waverly watched Nicole rub the back of her neck as she stammered to correct herself. She was glad Nicole fixed her explanation because she probably would have involuntary pulled back and slapped her again if she would have finished that sentence. 

“Well if you’re going to be up out of the bed then at least sit down while I fix us some of the soup Gus brought us.” Waverly said as she ushered Nicole down into one of the chairs at the kitchen table. 

“Mmm soup” Nicole rubbed her stomach. “Something delicious that I can eat with one hand.”

Waverly placed the two bowls into the microwave and fixed Nicole some coffee before she brought it over to her. “How are you feeling?” She asked as she twirled her finger through Nicole’s hair. 

Nicole took a sip of the coffee and sighed into the cup. “Much better now. My arm still hurts like hell though.” 

The ping of the microwave pulled Waverly back to the kitchen. She took the bowls out of the microwave and placed two spoons into them before she carried them both back over to the table and placed one in front of Nicole and the other in front of her chair. She moved to sit down when Nicole stopped her, grabbing at her hand. 

“Baby” Nicole said, nudging her over. Waverly stepped back over to Nicole and leaned down close to her. 

“Thank you” Nicole placed a quick kiss to Waverly’s lips, followed by another. 

Waverly grinned at Nicole and sat down into her chair. She watched Nicole as she put a spoonful of soup into her mouth, smiling when some dribbled onto her chin. Nicole was always so messy when they ate. She had joked with the redhead and told her she was going to buy her a bib one day so she could save more of her shirts from stains. The memory played in her head, warmth spreading through her body as she watched it. 

“What?” Nicole asked, startling Waverly as she zoned out. 

“Just you” Waverly answered making dimples pop out on the redhead’s cheeks. 

The pair ate in relative silence, outside of Nicole’s slurping of course, until Nicole sat back and pushed her bowl away across the table. She wiped her mouth and grabbed Waverly’s hand, staring at her now with a serious look. 

“Waves” Nicole said with a sympathetic smile “I’m so sor-“ 

“No baby don’t” Waverly held her hand up and cut Nicole off. “It’s okay. I freaked out a little st the hospital but it’s fine now.”

“No Waverly it’s not okay.” Nicole argued as she shook her head, refocusing her eyes on Waverly. “I’m so sorry baby. I’m so, so sorry I put you through all of this. I-I wasn’t think.” Nicole stammered. “You’re right. I didn’t think about you, about us before I ran off into that building and I am so sorry Waves.” 

Waverly squeezed Nicole’s hand and tried to speak, stopping when Nicole continued. 

“I hate that I put you through this. I-I never meant to hurt you, or-or make you worry.” Nicole stuttered, eyes filling with remorse. “ I would never do anything to hurt you baby. I’ve never cared about anyone the way that I care about you and I’m going to do everything I can to always come back to you .” Nicole said through a watery smile. 

Waverly stood up and moved to sit on Nicole’s lap. She combed her hand through red locks as she placed a kiss to Nicole’s lips. She stared down at Nicole, eyes heavy with unshed tears. 

“I’m never going to leave you Waves. You’ve got to believe that. ” Nicole assured her. “Do you believe me?”

Waverly tried to shake her head yes, but she couldn’t move. She tried to tell Nicole yes, but she couldn’t speak. She could hear the words coming out of Nicole’s mouth but she was too terrified to react to them, frozen in the fear that if she actually let herself believe Nicole like she wanted to that she couldn’t protect Nicole from the curse that seemed to follow her around. 

Waverly pressed a kiss to Nicole’s forehead and held it there for a moment, hoping that she could silently speak the words she couldn’t say into Nicole’s mind. She got up from Nicole’s lap and gathered their bowls from the table and took them over to the sink. She turned on the water and let it run over her hands. She heard Nicole stand up, her chair scraping across the floor. She walked over to Waverly and kissed her on the head as she placed her spoon into the sink. Nicole paused for a moment and Waverly could feel her staring down at her, however she could bring herself to meet her eyes, shame filling her heart at her cowardliness. 

“I’m uh- I’m going to go wash off.” Nicole said awkwardly, pause in her voice before she walked away. 

Waverly wanted to reach out for Nicole but she thought it was best to let her go. Instead she just turned her attention to the dishes before her and began to robotically move through the motions of washing them, trying her best to turn her brain off from the overtime it was working. 

Waverly finished toweling off the dishes before putting them away. She wiped down the counters in the kitchen as well as the kitchen table before she flicked the lights off and made her way to the bedroom. 

She walked into the bedroom to find a freshly washed Nicole sitting on the bed playing with her phone, her back propped up against the headboard and her legs laid out in front of her. She glanced up as Waverly walked into the room and she offered her a smile, but not her normal dimpled one. It was a smile laced with sadness, with something resembling regret. 

“I...I’m going to go take a shower.” Waverly said quietly as she pointed to the bathroom. 

Nicole gave her a small nodded and turned her attention back to her phone. Waverly went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She started the shower, adjusting the temperature until it was hot enough for her. She stripped down and climbed into the shower. She let the hot water run down her front before she turned and ran her head under the shower head. She closed her eyes as she soaked in the tranquility of the hot water rushing through her hair and down her back, effectively washing her busy brain free of all the thoughts that were rushing through it when she stepped in. Well, all but one. 

Don’t be scared to appreciate her while she’s here.

Waverly washed her hair and body as the thought played over and over again in her head. 

Don’t be scared to appreciate her while she’s here. 

She placed her hand on the shower wall, bracing herself against it. She let the water trickle down her body as she thought about the words.

Don’t be scared to appreciate her while she’s here. 

For most of her life Waverly had lived in fear, fear that at any moment someone else she loved would be stripped from her life, stripped away from her. Before her parents died Waverly was full of hope, full of ignorant bliss and blinded to what the world could really do. She had fought to regain a piece of that part of herself and then Willa had died and it shattered it completely. From there forward she couldn’t bring herself to get her hopes up again. She believed that if she expected everyone to leave that it wouldn’t hurt so bad when they did, that she would be prepared for it. She had worked hard at it and it had worked. It worked when her Uncle Curtis died and it worked when Wynonna would leave over and over again. 

But Waverly was tired. She was so tired of constantly living in a state of fear, fear fueled by the anticipation of being left. She was tired of fear holding her back from what she loved, from who she loved. She was tired of fighting. 

Don’t be scared to appreciate her while she’s here. 

Waverly was tired of fighting the feelings that Nicole gave her. Feelings of happiness, of explicit joy. Feelings that made her feel confident to be herself, made her feel brave. Feelings that made her feel like she could do anything, made her feel like she could achieve anything. Feelings that made her dream about their future together, made her hope for something more, something better. 

Waverly had been fighting the feelings that Nicole had been making her feel so naturally. Feelings that Nicole had been forcefully radiating throughout Waverly’s body when she was around her. Powerful feelings that Nicole provoked from Waverly just from being herself. Feelings that Waverly couldn’t, feelings she wouldn’t, fight anymore. 

Whether the world ended up pulling Nicole away from her or not Waverly couldn’t predict but she was going to appreciate Nicole while she was here to provoke these feelings from Waverly. She wasn’t going to waste anymore time pushing against the walls of insecurities that Nicole had been working so hard to knock down. No, Waverly was going to let herself love Nicole while she was here. Doubts be damned. 

Waverly turned off the water to the shower and grabbed her towel. She dried herself off before grabbing her favorite sleep shirt, Nicole’s shirt that was too big for even her so it came down the middle of Waverly’s thighs. She pulled the shirt over her head and looked at herself. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She exhaled it while she nodded to herself. She opened her eyes  
to look at herself in the mirror, only this time she saw steel eyes looking back at her, mixed with determination and desire. She was ready for this and she wasn’t going to let anyone stop her, especially herself. 

Waverly opened the door to the bathroom and made her way into the bedroom where Nicole laid playing on her phone. 

Waverly took the phone from Nicole’s hands and tossed it behind her. Nicole wearing a look of aggravation before it morphed into one of shock as Waverly climbed onto her lap and straddle her hips. 

Waverly peered down at the wide eyed redhead from where she sat above her, burying her eyes as far into her as she could. She crashed her lips against Nicole’s in bruising kiss, a kiss burning with a fire that threatened to consume her. She ran her tongue across Nicole’s bottom lip, the redhead following suit and parting her lips so Waverly could wrap her tongue around Nicole’s. She swallowed the moan that escaped Nicole as she brought her hands up to grip at red locks. Waverly felt a rush of heat transfer from Nicole’s mouth into hers as it passed it’s way through her entire body before collecting between her thighs. Waverly  
whimpered as Nicole worked her hand into her hair, scratching lightly at her scalp. She pulled Nicole closer to her as she buried her tongue further into the redhead’s mouth and quickened their kiss,every nerve ending in her body buzzing. She wasn’t sure if it was due to nerves or arousal or a combination of both but whatever it was it spurred her on further. 

Waverly unwrapped her hands from Nicole’s hair and moved them to the buttons on Nicole’s sleep shirt. She worked her shaking hands down the buttons and she undid them one by one until the shirt lay open. 

She returned her hands to the hair at the back of Nicole’s neck as the redhead planted kisses along her jaw. She felt Nicole brush her nose down along the length of her neck, moving back up before she did the same with her tongue. Waverly tightened her grip in Nicole’s hair as she felt her nip around her pulse point and suck on the sensitive skin there. 

She pushed Nicole’s head harder against her neck, encouraging the other woman to leave her mark on her. Exhilaration coursed through her body at the idea of Nicole marking her as hers. 

Waverly grinded her center down onto Nicole’s lap as she tried to gain friction against her, gasping when she felt a light pressure brush against her. Nicole licked her way over to the other side of Waverly’s neck and placed hot, open mouth kisses against the skin there as the brunette’s mouth hung open, quick breathes escaping. 

Nicole continued her ministrations on her neck as Waverly snaked her hands down between their bodies to the redhead’s stomach. She ran her finger down the middle of Nicole’s stomach between her abs, basking in the way the redhead’s body jumped beneath her touch. She placed a hand on Nicole’s sides and slowly worked them up until she was touching the underside of Nicole’s breast. She brushed along the sides of them before moving her hands inward so she could brush her thumbs along Nicole’s nipples, the buds hardening as a reaction. 

Waverly feels Nicole pause her ministrations and breathe heavy into her neck as she concentrates on the brunette’s touch. 

Waverly brushed her thumbs over Nicole’s nipples again, pausing and circling around them lightly. She brought the rest of her hand to hover over Nicole’s breast as she softly gripped them, the hand now wrapped around Waverly’s shoulder gripping harder at the contact. 

Very lightly Waverly circled Nicole’s nipples with her thumb before pinching them softly between her fingers, the motion seemingly breaking Nicole out of her trance. The redhead craned her neck towards Waverly, chasing her lips until Waverly lowered her head and pushed her lips against Nicole’s. 

Nicole sucked Waverly’s bottom lip between her teeth before she lightly bit down causing Waverly’s hips to buck against Nicole’s lap and her hands to tighten on her breast. 

Nicole moaned at the added pressure against her chest. She threw her head back and arched her back up to push herself further into Waverly’s grip. Taking advantage of the angle, Waverly worked her mouth over Nicole’s exposed neck. Her building arousal getting the best of her when she bit down roughly on Nicole’s neck, making the redhead’s hips buck against her nearly exposed core. 

Waverly’s eyes fluttered closed at the contact as she bent down and moved her mouth down the middle of Nicole’s chest. She kissed down the side of Nicole’s right breast as the redhead openly panted above her. Waverly felt Nicole’s hand on the back of her head encourage her mouth towards her hardened nipple. 

Waverly enveloped Nicole’s nipple, swirling her tongue around the peak as she heard the redhead let out a quiet moan above her. She sucked on Nicole’s nipple before she lightly nipped it with her teeth. 

Waverly gasped into Nicole’s chest as she felt the redhead drag her fingernails down the length of her back before her hand settled on her ass. 

Waverly released Nicole’s nipple with a pop before she moved on to the other one and took it in her mouth. She reached her hand up to play with Nicole’s other breast as she swirled her tongue around Nicole’s nipple like she had done before. 

Nicole’s grip on her ass tightened roughly, sending jolts of electricity from her fingertips and making Waverly’s center pulsate. Waverly sat back up and trailed kisses up Nicole’s chest and neck until she paused above her lips. She opened her eyes and met Nicole’s gaze, events dark with want and pupils completely blown. 

Taking pause from the heat of the moment that was building between them, Waverly pressed a soft kiss to Nicole’s lips as she peered down at her. She paused for a moment before she repeated the motion, eyes locked with Nicole’s the whole time. 

Nicole looked up at Waverly with questionable eyes. Waverly hadn't really thought about it until that moment but Nicole was probably a bit caught off guard by Waverly’s impromptu makeout session. 

“Baby” Nicole gasped out, voice deeper than usual. “What’s going on?” 

Waverly looked deep into Nicole’s eyes for any signs of doubt but not finding any. She ran her finger along Nicole’s chin before she tilted her head up and softly pressed her lips to Nicole’s, hovering centimeters away from them when she pulled back. 

“I need you Nicole.” Waverly husked. Her voice strong and full of certainty. “I need you to take me.” 

Waverly watched as fire danced across Nicole’s eyes before she pulled at Waverly’s head, kissing her wildly. 

“Are you sure?” Nicole asked, eyes filled with desperation. “You know I’m fine with waiting for you.” 

Waverly leaned back as she sat up straight on Nicole’s lap. She reached down and grabbed the ends of her T-shirt before she slowly pulled it over her head, revealing underneath it her completely nude body. 

She watched Nicole’s eyes grow in size as the redhead took in the sight of Waverly fully naked for the first time. Nicole’s breath hitched as her eyes worked over every crevasses of Waverly’s body, sending a shiver down the brunette’s spin as she found herself completely exposed to Nicole. 

Waverly took Nicole’s hand and brought her forefinger to her mouth. She kissed the pad before she used her hand to guide it down along the front of her body. 

“I’m done waiting.” she assured her as she trailed Nicole’s finger ever so lightly over her thrumming center, almost not touching it at all. “I love you Nicole and I want you to have every part of me, all of it ” 

A wide smile broke across Nicole’s face, dimples popping as Waverly spoke. 

“You love me?” Nicole cooed. 

“I’m so in love with you.” Waverly nodded her head with a watery smile and a racing heart that threatened to beat out of her chest. 

Waverly leaned back down and returned her lips to Nicole’s before the redhead could say anything. She felt her snake her hand up between them and grab one of her breast. Nicole lightly pushed her back until Waverly’s back was arched. She worked her hand around Waverly’s breast, pinching her nipple slightly as she brought the other to her mouth. 

Waverly felt a hot bolt of wetness pool between her thighs as Nicole’s mouth worked magic along her nipple. She placed her hands on the bed behind her and pushed her body forward, moaning out at the friction the motion created between her legs. 

Waverly felt Nicole trail her tongue back up her body and pull her closer against her with her hand. Waverly leaned back up and met Nicole’s mouth with a blazing fire, the mood shifting to something more serious, more deeply meaningful. A mood that made Waverly’s brain short circuit as she tried to comprehend it. 

Waverly gripped around Nicole’s lower back as she felt Nicole’s hand on her leg. She lightly trailed her fingertips over the inside of Waverly’s thigh, making it jump.

Waverly strained to keep her eyes open passed the contact so she could watch Nicole. The redhead pushed against Waverly’s knee, spreading her legs further apart and opening Waverly up for her. 

Waverly felt herself dripping as Nicole eyed her core unabashedly before meeting her gaze once again. 

Nicole pressed her forefinger to the top of Waverly’s center before she slowly circled around it, trailing over her lips on either side. The indirect contact of where Waverly desperately needed her most drove her wild. She swiveled her hips to try and brush Nicole’s finger against her but the redhead pulled back away from the touch. 

Waverly’s jaw clenched at the teasing as she dug her nails into Nicole’s back. Finally Nicole dipped her forefinger between Waverly’s slick folds, making the brunette audibly gasp. Nicole ran her finger up and down the length of Waverly’s soaked core, pausing briefly over her entrance and gathering wetness there before she brought her finger back up and brushed it over Waverly’s swollen clit. 

Waverly knew she should be doing something to Nicole in return. She knew her hands should be working Nicole’s body like hers was being worked but with Nicole’s finger drawing slow circles around her clit she couldn’t get her mind to form a coherent thought. She was paralyzed by the endorphins that were shooting off like fireworks in her brain. The only thing she could manage to do was pull herself closer to Nicole so there was no space left between them and hold on to her back for dear life. 

Waverly’s hips grinded down onto Nicole’s finger when the redhead moved to hover over Waverly’s entrance. She stuck the tip of her finger inside and swirled around slowly, making Waverly’s eyes roll back and her mouth drop open. 

Nicole pushed her finger up into Waverly excruciatingly slow before she stopped halfway and pulled it back out. She repeated the motion a few times as she peppered Waverly’s neck with featherlight kisses. 

Waverly reveled in the feeling of Nicole inside of her, stimulation she had had before but nothing that had ever felt like that. With each slow thrust that Nicole provided Waverly could feel her soul attaching to Nicole’s body and she wanted more. She wanted everything that was hers to belong to Nicole completely when this was done. 

Waverly found Nicole’s mouth in a fever and tugged at her bottom lip roughly as she swiveled her hips faster against Nicole’s finger. As if getting the hint, Nicole thrusted her finger knuckle deep into Waverly, the brunette gasping into Nicole’s mouth. Nicole pulled back and thrust into Waverly again as Waverly brought her hips forward to meet Nicole’s finger, the pair finding a steady rhythm there. 

Waverly worked her body against Nicole’s, eyes screwed shut in pleasure as emotions pumped through her with every thrust of Nicole’s finger. She was so deeply in love with Nicole in that moment and she had been so afraid to tell her. Now that she had she felt relieved, but still so scared that something was going to happen to her. She worked her hips faster against Nicole to try and erase the feeling, gaining more friction as she did 

She had been so dumb to let that fear hold her back from what she was experiencing now. The pure elation she was feeling, the connection she was making in that moment, one she had never made with someone before. She had held herself back from Nicole for so long because of that fear and it had almost cost her. She had almost lost Nicole without being able to ever experience any of this with her. 

“M-more” Waverly panted. 

She needed to feel everything. She needed all of Nicole while she had her. 

Nicole pulled back and added another finger before continuing her steady thrust into Waverly. 

“Uhnnn….Baby.”

Waverly released in a breathy moan at the new sensation, grasping against Nicole’s body and pulling her tight against her until she wasn’t sure where she ended and the redhead began. 

The pressure in her stomach tightened as the reality of everything that had happened mounted in Waverly’s thoughts. She had almost lost all of this before she ever even had it. 

“Fuuuck Nicole.” Waverly was blinded by pleasure. Stars popping behind her eyes as she worked herself against Nicole, abs burning from the motion. 

Nicole buried her fingers deep inside Waverly and curled them, working a spot that intensified both her physical and emotional states, resulting in an overwhelming sensation that took over her body. It was all so much, everything working towards the moment she was in. All her doubts, fears, and insecurities being stripped away by Nicole’s working fingers.

“God d-don’t stop.” Waverly pleaded, wanting to strip herself clean with Nicole’s hands. 

Waverly moaned loudly, Nicole’s name slipping passed her lips in repeated praise. Her pleasure reached its climax with curled toes and shaking hips as tears built in her eyes at the sensations swirling around her. 

Waverly came with a strangled cry as she clinched her quivering body around Nicole’s, scared to let go. She felt hot tears roll down her cheeks as she road out her orgasm against Nicole’s fingers. 

Nicole slowly removed her hand from between them and brought her lips up to Waverly’s ear

“I love you too” she whispered against Waverly’s skin before she kissed down her neck. 

Hearing the words and feeling Nicole’s breath brush against her, broke the dams in Waverly as her body flooded with release. She dropped her face to Nicole’s neck as her shoulders shuddered in a sob. She was so happy, so grateful to be in this moment with Nicole, to have Nicole loving her and to have Nicole here for her to love. 

“I know baby.” Nicole combed her hand through Waverly’s hair as the brunette poured her emotions out onto her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will probably just be fluff and smut. I need a break from intensity. I may get another out today but if not, I’ll see you guys tomorrow!


	15. Chapter 15: A surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is nothing but smut and fluff. Well, until it’s not

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Skip to the second part to avoid smut.

Nicole awoke to pulsating pain in her left arm that was quickly banished when she felt the warmth of Waverly’s naked body wrapped around her right side. She drank in the beauty of the brunette as she lay sleeping on her chest, frazzled hair and small red marks on her collarbone retelling the story from the night before. 

Nicole had been kicking herself when Waverly couldn’t tell her she believed her. She thought she had screwed up on a levelshe couldn’t come back from but when Waverly had climbed on top of her, eyes full of confidence and certainly, she knew that wasn’t the case. 

The night before had been intense, bonding her to Waverly in a way she didn’t think she was capable of. She admired the other woman for the way she had faced her fears and Nicole was grateful that Waverly had done it for her and their relationship. 

Nicole walked her fingers up Waverly’s spine as she closed her eyes and let her memories pull her back into what had happened the night before, smiling to herself at the thought of how nervous she was touching Waverly for the first time. Nicole had been with plenty of women but never one like Waverly, never one that made her feel the things Waverly makes her feel. The whole situation had made her feel like it was her first time and even though it wasn’t, it was a first in its own way. It was Nicole’s first time being with someone she was actually in love with and while she had, had fun with the women before Waverly, nothing could compare to the feeling she felt the night before when the brunette’s walls had fluttered around her fingers as she came or the bond Nicole’s heart had made with Waverly while she had cradled the emotional woman in her arms until they had fallen asleep. 

The night had been near perfect but as much as she loved being inside Waverly, there was something else she wanted to do. Something she had been waiting for since the first time they had made out on Waverly’s couch and the heat between her legs wanted her to go and get it. She just had to wake Waverly first. 

Despite’s her arms screaming protest, Nicole picked it up and gently laid it flat out on the other side of Waverly. She moved Waverly’s head off her chest until it was laying flat back in the bed. Nicole turned her body so she was leaning halfway over the other woman. Her head rushed at the throbbing in her arm before it finally settled. 

Nicole slouched her head down beside Waverly’s and blew gently at her ear, the feeling making the other woman’s body shutter slightly. 

She placed a kiss to the tip of Waverly’s ear and then another behind it. She wrapped her tongue around her earlobe and sucked it lightly. She could feel the brunette stirring beneath her and she knew her plan to wake her up was working. 

“Wake up baby” Nicole whispered in her ear before positioning her mouth to hover over the soft, tan skin of Waverly’s bare neck. Nicole paused for a moment and breathed over Waverly’s neck before closing her mouth onto the spot and swirling the tip of her tongue against the skin enclosed between her lips. 

Nicole felt hands wind into her hair at the base of her neck and she knew Waverly was awake. 

“Mmm baby” Waverly softly whimpered, voice drowsy with sleep. “That feels so good” 

Nicole placed her lips on the underside of Waverly’s jaw below her ear before moving slowly towards her chin. 

She leaned up further onto her elbow as she watched Waverly blink the sleep from her eyes before finally cracking them open. 

Nicole hovered her face over Waverly’s, her red hair falling from behind her ears and enclosing them. The air between the two of them sparking and growing more intimate as she gazed down at Waverly. 

“Good morning.” She smiled as she pressed her lips to Waverly’s who returned the kiss. 

“Good morning.” 

“Can I try something with you?” Nicole said into Waverly’s mouth. 

“Anything” Waverly answered without hesitation, making Nicole’s heart hammer in her chest, reveling in the way Waverly trusted her completely. 

Nicole smiled into another kiss with Waverly before she placed her lips on Waverly’s chin and then down the front of the brunette’s throat. She moved her mouth over Waverly’s collarbone and placed open mouth kisses along the red marks she had left there the night before, trailing her tongue across her body and doing the same to the other side. She scooted her body down slightly to Waverly’s breast. She placed a kiss at the top before she let her lips lightly trace around the skin there, breathing hot against her. 

Waverly’s breathing increased as Nicole took the tip of her tongue and softly circled Waverly’s nipple. She kissed over the hardened bud before she gently grazed it with her teeth. 

“Ahh” Waverly gasped as her grip tightened in Nicole’s hair. 

Nicole had learned last night that Waverly loved to tug at her hair when she was excited and Nicole was not complaining.

She sucked on Waverly’s nipple before releasing it with a pop. She lightly blew air over the wet bud making Waverly’s back arch off the bed for a moment. 

Nicole moved further down the bed and Waverly’s body as she grazed her teeth down and back up the skin of Waverly’s waist. She kissed the underside of Waverly’s breast before she licked down the middle of Waverly’s abs, stopping to kiss the strained muscle of each one. 

Now positioned far enough down that her mouth could reach her destination Nicole grabbed Waverly’s calf and caressed the skin beneath her hand as she drug Waverly’s leg up until it sat beside her head bent at the knee. 

She pushed at Waverly’s leg, spreading the brunette apart and offering her a new look she couldn’t see last night. Beautiful, glistening pink folds sat before her that made her mouth water. 

Nicole placed a kiss to the inside of Waverly’s thigh before trailing her tongue towards what it desperately yearned to taste. She placed her hand on the inside of Waverly’s lower thigh and pushed it outward as she placed a kiss to one of Waverly’s lips. 

“Wait” Waverly breathed out, pushing at Nicole’s shoulder. “Wait baby, wait.”

Nicole pulled back immediately at Waverly’s words, panic filling her chest at the thought she had went too far. 

“What’s wrong? Is this not- do you want me to stop?” Nicole asked with concern.

Waverly shook her head and rubbed Nicole’s hair with her hand. 

“No baby it’s nothing like that.” Waverly said, features pulling back in embarrassment. “It's just uh— that I don’t want you to waste your time.”

Nicole furrowed her brow, confused by what Waverly meant. 

“What do you mean?” Nicole inquired. 

“It’s just that uhh, I’ve never been able to orgasm from umm that.” Waverly admitted, gesturing with her hand to where Nicole sat propped up on her elbow with her head cocked. 

A smile broke across Nicole’s face as she understood what Waverly was trying to tell her. 

“You’ve never came from oral?” Nicole asked. 

Waverly covered her face with her hands and exhaled a breath. 

“No i haven’t.” Flopping her hands down onto the bed. “I’ve had boyfriends try in the past but after a while I just stopped letting them because they’d be down there for so long.”

Nicole chuckled at the flustered brunette before her as she grabbed her hand. Waverly hadn’t realized it but Nicole knew it probably had a lot more to do with what the guys weren’t doing right than with Waverly herself. 

“Welll, I would love to give it a shot” Nicole quipped “but only if you want me to” 

“Of course I want you to. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up tha—-Woah” 

Waverly’s thought cut off by a moan as Nicole dipped her tongue between Waverly’s slick folds and ran a pointed tip up her center before flattening her tongue and running it back down Waverly’s arousal. 

Waverly’s hand tightly gripped Nicole’s as she tossed her head back against the pillow. 

Waverly’s hips bucked down into her mouth as Nicole trailed her tongue to the side and licked along one of Waverly’s pink lips before bringing her tongue to the top of Waverly’s center. She pulled back until the very tip of her tongue was touching Waverly’s skin as she slowly swirled it around Waverly’s swollen clit. 

“Fuuuu- …. Whew okay…. Mmm hmm, yep” Waverly moaned through tight lips, grabbing the back of Nicole’s head with her free hand. 

Nicole smirked into Waverly’s core as she felt the brunette’s arousal grow. She flattened her tongue again and dipped it along Waverly’s entrance, gathering the wetness that pooled there and whimper at the sweet taste. 

“Uhn, God.” Waverly gasped, “ Holyyy shiii...Th- thats...uh.. that’sss… okay, that’s good.” She pulled her hand out of Nicole’s and gripped her own hair with it. 

Nicole hardened her tongue and dipped it into Waverly’s entrance as she swirled it around. She darted her tongue in and out of Waverly’s entrance repeatedly before she flattened it again and licked her way up to Waverly's clit, pointing her tongue and drawing slow circles around it. 

““Baby I do-dont know what you- what you’re doing but don’t stop. God, please don’t stop.” Waverly  
pleaded as she brought her other hand to Nicole’s head and pushed against it. 

Nicole closed her mouth around Waverly’s clit and sucked on it as she flicked it with the tip of her tongue. 

“Holyfuckingshit” Wavelry gasped out in a rush. 

Nicole brought her hand up to the top of Waverly’s center and spread her lips apart. She released Waverlys clit and lightly traced it with her tongue. 

As Waverly released guttural moans above her Nicole tightened the circles her tongue was making against Waverly’s clit as she let the other woman’s hands push her harder against her sex. She could feel Waverly’s thighs quiver as she began to reach her peak. 

“Nic- oh fuck. Nicole.” Waverly moaned. “Baby I’m gonna- I’m gonna-” 

With that Waverly’s body started to shake and her thighs clamped down around Nicole’s head as she came. 

Nicole placed soft kisses to Waverly’s core as she waited for the brunette to come down from her orgasm. 

Nicole leaned back on her knees as she sat up. Waverly sprung up from the bed and crashed her lips into Nicole’s, moaning as she taste herself on her lips. She pulled back and looked at Nicole like she was going to say something before diving forward again and connecting their lips once more. 

“Nicole, what the hell was that?” Waverly asked, chest still heaving as she tried to catch her breath. 

Nicole smirked at Waverly who was sitting before her with wild eyes and reddened cheeks. 

“I mean, I said I would give it a shot?” Nicole said with a shrugged. 

“I love you” Waverly laughed out at Nicole as she pulled her back down for another kiss and trailed her lips to Nicole’s ear. 

“And I want to make you feel like that.” Waverly whispered against Nicole’s ear, making a shiver run down the redhead’s spine. As much as she didn’t mind waiting for Waverly as long as she needed, Nicole couldn’t deny what the constant makeout sessions and last nights events had done to her body. She could only relieve the pressure that yearned for Waverly but so much. 

Nicole scooted across the bed and sat against the headboard as Waverly propped her arm up. Even during sexy time Waverly couldn’t turn off her concern for Nicole and that made the redhead’s heart swell. 

Waverly climbed onto Nicole and straddled one of her legs. She hovered over Nicole’s thigh as she gripped around the bottom of Nicole’s leg. 

Nicole leaned up and pulled their lips together in a slow soft kiss, her arousal growing as Waverly deepened it. 

She bent her leg and brought it up against Waverly’s heat, Nicole gasping at the arousal that coated her skin at the contact. 

Waverly grinded her hips down onto Nicole’s leg as she pressed her own thigh further against Nicole.

Nicole’s eyes rolled back at the contact. She had waited months to feel Waverly against her like that and she was immediately turned to putty at the first touch. 

Nicole placed her foot flat against the bed in order to hardened the leg that was caught between Waverly as she bent her other knee and spread that leg further out, opening herself more for Waverly.

She watched Waverly’s breath hitch as she looked down at Nicole. Nicole felt a brush creep up her neck at how exposed she felt under the brunette’s fiery gaze. 

Nicole panted as she watched Waverly trail a finger through her sex, her eyes growing at the heat she found there. Nicole knew Waverly hadn’t done this to another woman before and she could tell she was nervous by how her hands slightly trembled. 

“Baby” Nicole gasped as she brought Waverly’s attention back to hers. “Just do to me what feels good to you.no matter what you do, it’ll be great.” 

Nicole offered Waverly a reassuring smile as she nodded. Nicole wanted Waverly to enjoy touching her, not be so focused on that idea that Nicole wouldn’t like it. Really Waverly could breathe on her right now and she’d bust so anything the brunette did would work. 

Nicole’s toes curled as Waverly explored with her fingers, running two of them on either side of Nicole’s clit enticing a moan from her as she did.

Encouraged by the sounds coming from Nicole’s mouth Waverly repeated the motion a few times, effectively turning Nicole into a mess. 

Waverly dipped her fingers lower and paused at Nicole’s entrance. She looked up at the redhead expectantly before Nicole gave a tiny nod. 

Nicole felt Waverly push her two fingers all the way into her entrance slowly. She twisted them inside Nicole before pulling back out and running them over Nicole’s clit once more. 

Nicole could feel herself already tiptoeing towards the edge. Her body had needed this and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold on. 

Nicole reached up and ran her fingers through Waverly’s slick folds, gathering wetness before slipping inside of her.

Waverly paused her ministrations as Nicole worked her curled her fingers inside of her, moaning slowly as she concentrated on her own pleasure. 

As if her brain came back to her body Waverly quickly buried her fingers deep into Nicole, making the redhead choke on her breath.

Waverly pumped in and out of Nicole at a steady pace while Nicole used her thigh as leverage to push deeper into Waverly. 

She could tell Waverly was getting close as her movements became more erratic and her pumping fingers moved more quickly. Nicole’s own release mounted as she watched Waverly buck against her fingers. 

“Waves” Nicole breathed out into Waverly’s mouth as the brunette stared at her. 

Nicole felt Waverly’s grip around her body tighten and her body stiffen as her fingers stilled in Nicole. 

Feeling Waverly wrapped around her body as she orgasmed sent Nicole over the edge right along with her. 

The pair panted into each other’s mouths as their shared releases wrecked through their bodies together, leaving them both exhausted and leaning on one another when it was over. 

Nicole placed a light kiss to Waverly’s lips as the brunette closed her eyes and hummed, soaking in the moment they had just shared. 

She pulled back from Nicole and looked at her, eyes know full of wonderment. 

“Wow” she breathed out. 

Nicole smiled back at Waverly, mind still reeling from pleasure. 

“I love you” she said as she kissed Waverly once more, drawing a whimper from the woman. “So much.” 

Waverly brushed Nicole’s cheek with the pad of her thumb, joy etched across her features. 

“I love you too.” 

———-

Nicole grabbed a handful of blueberries and shook them in her hand. She sat atop the counter beside where Waverly was mixing some pancake batter. 

“Babe” Nicole motioned “Babe watch.”

Nicole tossed a blueberry up into the air before catching it in her mouth. She smiled at her success but faltered a bit when she looked down and noticed Waverly still working the with the mix and not paying her any attention. 

“Waverlyyyy” Nicole whined. “Watch me toss these blueberries into the air and catch them in my mouth.” 

Waverly shook her head as she tried to fight a smile, attention never breaking from her task. 

“I swear.” She said, pouring some mix into the skillet. “Sometimes I think I’m dating a child.” 

“Nooo” Nicole corrected Waverly, placing her hand over her heart like she was hurt. “What you’re dating is an awesomely skilled individual. Now let me show you.” 

Waverly put the bowl back down and turned to look at Nicole, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Okay Nicole.” Waverly huffed out in fake aggravation. “Please show me.” 

Nicole shook her arm out and positioned herself. She tossed a blueberry into the air and caught it in stride as it plummeted back down. 

“Oh yeahhhhhh” Nicole exclaimed, slapping her hand onto the counter. “I told you babe, I am too good.” 

Waverly chuckled and took Nicole’s chin in her hands. “I’m so proud of you baby.” She cooed before giving Nicole a peck. “Your hand eye coordination is top notch.” 

“Thank you, I know. ” Nicole beamed back. 

“So Wynonna is coming today. Are you excited to meet her?” Waverly asked as she turned a pancake over. 

Nicole was excited to meet her, but she was also nervous about it. Meeting Gus had been one thing, but meeting Wynonna would be a whole other ordeal by the way Waverly had explained her. Plus Nicole couldn’t help but feel a touch of animosity towards the other woman. Waverly said she had her reasons, but she couldn’t comprehend how someone could leave Waverly like Wynonna did. She had known her for much less time than Wynonna had and she felt like her world would shatter if she didn’t have the brunette in her life. Nicole knew she had to put those bad feelings aside though, for Waverly. She’d do anything for Waverly. 

“Yeah I am.” Nicole answered. “I’m nervous but I’m excited.” 

“Well I’d tell you not to be nervous.” Waverly said, pulling some pancakes out of the skillet. “But I’m kind of nervous too” She admitted as she put more mix into the pan. “Wynonna is…. a character so I never know how she’s going to act. She’s can be a bit unpredictable.” She paused, looking up at Nicole nervously.

“I think we will get along great babe. Don’t worry” Nicole assured her, kissing the top of her head. 

“Now, give me that skillet so I can show you how skilled I really am.” Nicole said confidently, reaching her hand out to grab the handle of the skillet. 

Waverly stepped back from Nicole, shaking her head as the redhead moved the pancake around in the pan to get it loose. 

Nicole tossed the pancake in the air making it flip at the peak before it fell back down and landed folded in the pan. 

Nicole looked at the pancake in defeat as her face fell and Waverly barked out a laugh across the kitchen. 

Waverly took the skillet from Nicole’s hand and dumped the ruined pancake into the trash before placing it back on the stove. 

“Damn it.” Nicole huffed. “I woulda gotten it if I could have used my other arm. Stupid gunshot wound.” 

“Oh suree, it was the arm.” Waverly laughed as she poured more mix into the pan. “Just don’t quit your day job baby”

Nicole hopped down from her place on the counter and wrapped her arm around Waverly. She brushed her lips against Waverly’s ear, drawing goosebumps along her skin. 

“I can think of a few things I can do just fine with my one arm.” Nicole whispered. 

Waverly rolled her head back onto Nicole’s shoulder, basking in the redhead’s touch for a moment before she popped it back up. 

“I can too” Waverly’s said while she pushed her back against Nicole, making her lean away slightly. “But right now you’re going to use that arm to eat. Doctor’s orders.” 

“My doctor wasn’t too concerned about that this morning.” She murmured more to herself than to Waverly. 

“I heard that.” Waverly quipped, shooting a side eye glance towards Nicole. 

Nicole walked towards the kitchen to take her place at the table. 

“Hey Nicole” Waverly called after her, making Nicole stop and turn to look. Waverly tossed the pancake into the air the same as Nicole did before but unlike Nicole’s, her’s landed perfectly in the pan she was holding. “That’s how you do it.” 

Nicole rolled her eyes, grumbling as she made her way to sit at the kitchen table. 

Waverly brought their plates over to the table and placed them down in their usual spots before taking her seat. 

Nicole attempted to cut her pancakes with her fork but her plate kept moving away from her. She watched as Waverly took a fork full of pancake into her mouth. She tore off a little piece of pancake and brought it to her mouth before it fell off the fork onto her shirt. 

Waverly looked at Nicole with amusement as she watched Nicole attempted to eat her food. 

“Baby do you need some help?” Waverly asked. 

Nicole nodded slightly as she gave up and tossed her fork onto her plate. 

Waverly pushes Nicole’s plate of out the way and pulled hers in front of Nicole. She walked around to Nicole’s chair and sat sideways in her lap. Nicole wrapped her arm around Waverly, letting it settle on her legs. 

Waverly took the plate of pancakes in her hands and gather pieces onto the fork. She held it out for Nicole as she took it into her mouth. Nicole soaked up the sweet taste of the syrup mixed with the savory taste of the butter. 

“Mmmm” Nicole moaned. “Waverly this is so good. How did I get so lucky?” 

Waverly smiled as she fed herself a forkful of food.  
“We may never know baby.”

Nicole playfully pinched Waverly’s side, making the brunette squirm as Waverly fed her another bite. 

“No seriously” Nicole swallowed. “You’re too good to me. I don’t deserve all this.” She gestured to Waverly.

Waverly sat the plate down and took Nicole’s face in her hands. “You deserve all of this Nicole. We deserve all of this, you hear me?” 

Nicole was taken back by the care she saw in Waverly’s eyes just like she was taken back by the care Waverly had shown for her since they met. Nicole had already accepted that she would live her life alone and she was fine with it. She had already accepted that some people just have to fend for themselves. Then Waverly came along and changed all of that. The way Waverly took care of Nicole and always made her a priority had changed everything. Waverly had taught Nicole how to have expectation for other people, how to rely on someone else. For what felt like the first time Nicole had someone she knew loved her and she would never be able to appreciate Waverly enough for it. Despite everything that had happened over the past few days Nicole knew she had Waverly and Waverly had her and she couldn’t be happier than in this moment. 

“Yeah, yeah.” Nicole laughed. “I hear ya boss.” 

Waverly stood up and gathered their plates before taking them over to the sink. 

“I wish I could help you with dishes babe” Nicole called out. “But I don’t know how much help I’d be with one hand.” 

Nicole felt Waverly throw her leg over the chair and straddle her lap. She was wearing a look similar to the one this morning and Nicole’s heart started to race

“Well detective” Waverly said in a sultry tone. “I think I’ve got another way you can repay me.” 

Nicole smirked and brought her mouth to Waverly’s 

“Oh yeah, and how is that?”

Nicole was just about to close the distance between them when the doorbell rang. 

“That must be Wynonna.” Waverly exclaimed as she clapped her hands and jumped off Nicole’s lap. 

Nicole stood up from the table when she heard her phone ping from the kitchen counter. She walked over and unlocked it to reveal a text from Dolls. 

-Hope you’re feeling better. Word has it our masked Banditos are still in town. Come by the office when you can-

Nicole typed out a quick reply before setting her phone back down on the table. She heard voices making there way towards her and then she felt Waverly’s hand on her back so she turned to greet the two women. 

Nicole felt the blood drain from her face and her mouth go dry. She could feel the pain in her arm begin to pulsate as her heart pounded in her chest and her hands began to tremble. 

Looking back at her was something she’d knew she’d never be able to forget. Something she had been trying to erase but couldn’t because it played so vividly in her brain. 

Standing before Nicole were the same eyes she had stared into a few days ago. The same ones that sat at the end of the barrel that had been pointed down at her. 

“Nicole, this is my sister Wynonna.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course it was Wynonna, this story wouldn’t make any sense if it wasn’t.


	16. Chapter 16: A standoff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The angst has arrived. Things are getting spicy and dicey now.

No. Fucking. Way. 

Nicole looked up wide eyed at the sisters standing before her in the kitchen. 

There was no fucking way this was happening. 

She tried to blink clear the illusion she had to be seeing but faltered when she realized this living nightmare was actually her reality. 

“How goes it Red?” Wynonna quipped with an extended hand. 

Nicole stared down at Wynonna outstretched hand, eyes unfocused from the shock that still coursed through her body at the revelation she had just made. She couldn’t move as her brain was too busy trying to piece itself back together to tell her to do much else so she just stood there, stiff as stone and stared at Wynonna’s hand. 

“Uhh Babygirl” Wynonna said confused, quirking an eyebrow at Nicole’s odd behavior. “Did you forget to switch her on or something?”

Waverly mirrored Wynonna’s confused expression as she took in Nicole’s stolic appearance. 

“Baby?” Waverly questioned. “Are you okay?” 

Hearing Waverly’s concerned voice made Nicole’s brain work a bit faster as she was finally able to break her stare away from Wynonna’s hand, her eyes bouncing between the two sisters. 

“Uh-Hm What? ” Nicole cleared her throat as she tried to speak, still in a daze. “Yeah sorry, I was just zoned out for a minute.” 

“Nice to meet you Wynonna.” Nicole reached out and shook Wynonna’s hand, her body taking on a mind of its own as her grip hardened almost painfully around it. 

“Woahh hell of a grip there Red” Wynonna said as she took her hand from Nicole’s and shook it out. “Do you train for handshakes or something?” She laughed. 

Nicole felt her anxiety skyrocket as Wynonna tried to make a casual joke with her. She felt her breathing start to increase as she got dizzy. 

“I-I’ve got to go to the restroom.” Nicole said before practically running to the bathroom and closing herself in. 

There was no fucking way this was happening. 

Surely this wasn’t real. Surely she had not just seen what she thought she did. Maybe she was wrong, maybe those weren’t the same eyes. 

Nicole gripped the bathroom counter before splashing some cold water on her face, looking back up at her ghostly expression in the mirror. 

Nope, it was them. She was sure it was them. There was no way she could mistake those eyes as belonging to someone else, they had been burned into her mind as clear as day. It was definitely them and that meant Waverly’s sister Wynonna had been the one to shoot her. 

There was no fucking way this was happening. 

How in the hell had this happened? Out of all the people in the world, how in the hell was the culprit at the end of that gun Waverly’s sister. She wasn’t even in town when it had happened. No she was on a plane at the other end of the world, or at least she was supposed to be. 

Nicole splashed more water on her face trying to calm herself down and make sense of what was going on. 

There was no fucking way this was happening. 

Those were definitely the eyes. She would have recognized them anywhere. She wondered if Wynonna recognized her. Hell of course Wynonna recognized her. She had fucking shot her for Christ’s sake. 

There was no fucking way this was happening. 

Nicole’s body jumped as the light rasp on the bathroom door scared her. 

“Nicole, are you okay?” Waverly asked in a small voice. 

Waverly. What the hell was she supposed to tell Waverly? She couldn’t just come out and tell her, hey I’ve met your sister before, she fucking shot me a few days ago. No, she couldn’t tell Waverly about this, not now. Not when she was so excited to have Wynonna back and to have her meet Nicole. She was just going to have to keep this to herself and the guilt that swarmed through her stomach at the thought of lying to Waverly almost swallowed her whole right there. 

“Uh- ye-Yeah baby I’m fine.” Nicole stammered in a voice she didn’t even recognize. “I’ll be out in a minute.” 

Nicole looked in the mirror as she wiped her face with a cloth. She had to get it together. She had to manage this situation the best she could for Waverly, her Waverly that she’d give the world to if she could. She had to do this for Waverly. 

She rubbed her eyes with her palms to bring a bit of color back to them so they weren’t so hollowed out before lightly slapping herself across her sunken cheeks to do the same. She swallowed down the shock and confusion she felt from the moment and let the rage her body had been stirring take its place. She clinched her jaw, hard setting it before leaving the bathroom. 

Waverly stood outside with a concerned look that softened Nicole’s features. This wasn’t Waverly’s fault. She didn’t have anything to do with this...did she? 

Nicole shook the ridiculous thought from her head. No, Waverly didn’t know about this, about what Wynonna actually did when she was traveling. There was no way. 

“Sorry baby, I just uh-I felt a little light headed. The arm and all.” Nicole offered as a half hearted excuse. 

“It’s fine. I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” Waverly expressed, eyes filled with concern that made Nicole’s guilt grow even more. 

Nicole kissed the top of Waverly’s head and offered her best reassuring smile. 

“Everything’s great baby” She lied. “Now let's go see that sister of yours.” 

Waverly smiled up at Nicole, placing a kiss to her lips as she grabbed her hand and lead the pair out of the bedroom. 

Nicole felt her expression hardened once more as she peered at Wynonna who was sitting at the kitchen table shoving leftover pancake into her mouth as fast as she could. How the hell was she going to do this? She looked over at Waverly who was nothing but bubbling happiness. 

That’s how. For Waverly. Anything for Waverly. 

Nicole plastered on the best tight lip smile she could mange as she sat across from Wynonna. She stared deep into her eyes for the first time since she had walked in, trying to read them for any signs of panic themselves but she found none. It occurred to her that maybe Wynonna didn’t think Nicole would recognize her. After all she was covered in a ski mask and there was no way Wynonna would assume Nicole could recognize her eyes. 

“So, Red” Wynonna said with her mouth full. “Waverly tells me that you’re a cop or something.” 

Yeah, a cop that you just shot a few days ago. 

“Detective actually” Nicole corrected her. “I work with the National Gang Task Force. I’m stationed her in Purgatory for the time being.” 

“Psff” Wynonna scoffed as she shoved another fork full of pancake into her mouth. “There aren’t any gangs in Purgatory. 

Yes there are and you know all about them. 

“That’s what I said when she told me” Waverly piped up. “But Nicole says that not all gang members are as visibly as you’d think they would be.” 

Nicole noticed Wynonna pause for the smallest of seconds at Waverly’s words before blinking a few times and taking a chug of her orange juice. 

Wynonna turned her attention back to Nicole as the redhead’s hard set eyes stayed locked on the raven haired woman. 

“Yeah Waverly told me about your accident.” Wynonna gestured to Nicole’s arm. “I’m glad you’re alright. It must have been scary.” 

Nicole felt her skin turn to fire as her anger grew to a place she knew she wouldn’t be able to control for long. How dare Wynonna sit across from her and ask about her injury like she didn’t already know the story behind, like she wasn’t the story behind it. 

“No actually it wasn’t.” Nicole remarked, voice deep and laced with discreet anger. She placed her elbows on the table and leaned closer to Wynonna. “I’m not really someone who scares very easily. Plus if it gets these bastards off the streets then I’ll face off with whoever I need to.” 

Wynonna stopped chewing as Nicole spoke, staring her back down as Nicole did the same. 

Nicole could tell Wynonna was thinking about what she had said, what she had really meant. She wasn’t sure if Wynonna could tell she knew but Nicole wanted her to understand that she’d do anything she had to do, take down anyone she had to. 

“Whew” Wynonna’s features hardening. “You’ve got some fire in you don’t you Red?” She said with a knowing look. 

“A lot more than fire” Nicole answered. 

She could tell Wynonna was trying to intimidate her but it didn’t work. Nicole may not know Wynonna but she saw the remorse flash in her eyes before she pulled the trigger. She knew Wynonna wasn’t as hardened as she liked to pretend to be and that may be the main difference between them. Nicole knew it wasn’t her that should be scared of Wynonna, she could have killed Nicole but she didn’t. It was Wynonna that should be scared of Nicole. 

Nicole wasn’t exactly a remorseful person. Despite being a cop, she wasn’t someone who thought about rightful justice when it came to certain kinds of people, people who put her and the ones she loved in danger or people who put innocent people in danger for their own gain. She knew feeling the way she felt about certain people she would run across during investigations reflected badly on her as an officer of the law, but she couldn’t help it. Her demons controlled that side of her. 

Right now sitting across from her with a tight jaw was one of those people that Nicole so often detested, one that made her lose control of the anger she kept locked away. 

In fact, being Waverly’s sister was the only thing keeping her from climbing across the table and wrapping her hands around the Wynonna’s neck like she had done Steve. 

So no, she wasn’t scared of what Wynonna would do, Nicole was scared of what she might do. 

Nicole placed her hand over Waverly’s and slowly broke her gaze with Wynonna to look over at her girlfriend. 

“I think I may go lay down for a bit.” Nicole squeezed Waverly’s hand, who smiled back at her. “My arm is starting to hurt pretty bad.” She glanced at Wynonna as she said it before looking back at Waverly. 

“Okay.” Waverly said standing from the table as Nicole did the same. “Do you need help?” 

“No baby I’ve got it” Nicole reassured her with a kiss. “Thank you though.” 

“I put your pain medicine and a bottle of water by the bed if you need them.” Waverly offered. 

“Thank you.” Nicole kissed Waverly’s head and walked into the bedroom. She closed the door behind her and climbed on the bed.

Nicole tried to close her eyes but she couldn’t make herself calm down as her body swirled full of so many conflicting emotions. She reached over and grabbed her medicine before popping two of them in her mouth and jugging half the water. 

She knew the pills would knock her out, but anything would be better than living in her own head with the demon that had taken up occupancy there. 

——-

When Nicole awoke she blinked her eyes into darkness. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep but by the lack of light in the room and the brunette curled into her side she figured it was sometime in the middle of the night. 

She slid out from under Waverly’s body and walked into the bathroom. She looked down at herself and noticed the pajamas she was wearing. Waverly must have put them on for her. A smile broke across her face at the thought before her ears perked up at the sound of the front door squeaking. 

Nicole grabbed her gun off the nightstand and creeped her way out of the bedroom into the house. She looked around, straining her eyes to see in the dark until a flash outside the window caught her attention. 

Wynonna. 

She made her way out of the front door, careful not to alarm the woman that was walking towards the barn. 

She stalked lightly across the yard following behind Wynonna but keeping enough distance so she couldn’t be seen in the dark sky. She knew she couldn’t be seen but she could only hope Wynonna couldn’t hear the heavy hammering of her chest. 

She watched as Wynonna strapped something to her bike down before Nicole placed the barrel of the pistol against the back of her head. 

Wynonna slowly turned around to face Nicole, holding her hands up when she realized the position she was in. 

“Woahhhh Red.” Wynonna breathed out. “Are you sleepwalking or something?” 

Nicole’s fingers flexed around the gun in her hand as Wynonna tried to play dumb. 

“Cut the shit Wynonna” Nicole gritted. “I know you know who I am.” 

A small smirk broke across Wynonna’s face before she quickly grabbed the gun from the back of her pants and pointed it back at Nicole. 

The pair stood stone as they faced each other, guns in hands with barrels pointed. Nicole figured it probably looked like an old western showdown, except more fucked. 

“Yeah and by the looks of that arm you must know me too.” Wynonna sarcastically remarked. 

“Probably should have just finished the job when you had the chance.” Nicole replied with an ironic chuckle. 

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves in a bit of a situation here.” Wynonna continued, arm locking in place as she gripped the gun pointed at Nicole harder. 

“I guess so huh?” Nicole said as she moved closer to the other woman, causing Wynonna to take a few steps back. 

“What are you going to do Red?” Wynonna asked with a chuckle. “Kill your girlfriend’s sister in her barn?” 

Nicole didn’t say anything. In all honesty she didn’t know what she had planned to do here. Her body had practically followed Wynonna on pure instinct.

“No I guess not” Nicole said. “But I do think the criminal justice system frowns upon attempted murder of police officers.” 

Wynonna’s face faltered for a moment as Nicole’s threat played in her brain. 

“So in other words you’re going to throw your girlfriend’s sister in jail for life?” Wynonna inquired. “Do you really think you’d make it through that? Do you really think she’d come to visit me in jail and then happily go home to the person who put me there? I’m her sister Nicole. I’m the only one she’s got.” 

Wynonna was right and Nicole knew it. She had briefly thought about it before in the bathroom but now it really dawned on her. There was no way to take Wynonna down without losing Waverly too. If she listened to the demon whispering in her ear she’d shoot Wynonna right now and then Waverly would never want anything to do with her which meant Waverly would be left alone again. She couldn’t do that to her. She couldn’t strip her of the two people she loved most. Best case scenario she could throw Wynonna in jail and Waverly could resent her for it for the rest of their lives in which she would lose her anyway. 

Both thoughts made Nicole sick to her stomach. Wynonna was right. She couldn’t take her down without taking her relationship down with her. 

Nicole sat in silence at where to go from there. No matter what situation she ran through her head it always ended in losing Waverly so Nicole couldn’t take Wynonna down, but she could use her. 

“Actually I’m not planning on doing either.” Nicole pushed out through gritted teeth as she lowered her gun “What’s going to happen here is that you’re going to help me take down the rest of these fucking idiots…. annnd if you happen to go down with them” Nicole shrugged. “Welll, then so be it.” 

Wynonna flicked her gun at Nicole, eyes flashing in anger. 

“I’m not going to help you do shit.” Wynonna voice wavered as she spoke and Nicole knew she was nervous. She knew that despite acting otherwise, Wynonna was worried about what Nicole could do and that’s when she knew she had her. 

“Oh you’re going to help me Wynonna.” Nicole smirked as she placed her hand over Wynonna’s gun and lowered it from her face. “You’re going to do whatever the fuck I tell you to do.”

The pair stared at one another for a moment before Nicole turned to leave the barn.

“Oh and if you try to leave town” Nicole continued. “I’ll hunt you down and drop you where I find you.” 

Wynonna rolled her eyes at Nicole and pulled her helmet over her head. 

“Haven’t you heard detective?” Wynonna called out with a smile. “The Banditos are here to stay.”


	17. Chapter 17: A competition

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the kudos and comments. 50,000 words!! I love writing this story!

“Finally. What the fuck took you so long?” Steve asked as he hopped off the tailgate of his truck. 

Wynonna propped her bike up before climbing off and removing her helmet. 

“Shut up.” She rolled her eyes at the man as she removed the wrapped package from her backpack. “I had to wait for Waverly to leave before I could leave.”

Steve grabbed the package from Wynonna and unwrapped it. 

“Whewwww” Steve huffed, accompanied by a nasty snag tooth grin across his dirt stained face. “Now that’s some good looking shit.” 

“Isn’t my shit always good looking?” She asked sarcastically before starting to climb back on her motorbike. She hated this idiot so she damn sure wasn’t going to stick around him longer than she has to. 

“Hey you know what else looks good?” He asked, tossing the package through the window of his truck. “That sister of yours. She is mighty fi-oof” 

Wynonna slammed Steve against his truck, forearm in pressed into the front of his neck and knife pointed at him with the other. 

“You shut your fucking mouth about my sister.” She pushed out through gritted teeth. 

Steve nodded his head and tripped over himself as he climbed up in his truck and drove away. Wynonna knew Steve was scared of her. Hell almost all of the distributors were scared of her, word had gotten around fairly quickly she wasn’t to be messed with when she started this job. 

Wynonna folded the knife back up and stuffed it back in her pocket before she straddled her motorcycle. She checked the time on her watch and huffed out as she realized it was time to meet her favorite officers. 

—-   
Nicole and Dolls waited on the outskirts of Purgatory near the city limits in her car. 

“Are you sure she’s coming Haught?” Dolls asked. 

“She’s coming Dolls.” Nicole assured him. “She doesn’t have a choice.” 

Nicole had contemplated for a long time on whether or not she wanted to inform her partner of her latest discovery. Initially she had decided she wasn’t going to but when the hole in her stomach burned there from the guilt of not telling Waverly had started to spark up she decided that the less secretes she had to keep, the better. 

At the beginning Dolls had been furious. Nicole had actually had to chase him down and stop him from climbing in his car to go find Wynonna himself, but once Nicole explained to him everything that was pending on the situation he had reluctantly relented into letting Wynonna help them instead. 

Nicole heard the rumble of an engine pull up behind as she watched Wynonna get off the bike in her rearview mirror. She made her way to the car and climbed in the backseat. 

“Ok let’s get this shit over with.” Wynonna huffed out, leaning against the back seat and crossing her arms. 

Nicole drove the three of them out of Purgatory before pulling off into a more secluded area and turning the car off. The trio got out of the car and stood by the hood of it. 

Dolls rolled out a large layout of Purgatory, pinning it down at the corners. 

Wynonna leaned over and pointed to one of the more secluded areas of the town with her finger. 

“So here’s where I dropped the supply off this afternoon with Steve.” She informed the pair. 

“I still can’t believe they let those rat bastards bail out.” Nicole said to Dolls with a shake of the head. 

“Well that’s what happens when you’ve got the judge acting as crooked as you do.” Dolls retorted.   
“Keep going Earp.” 

Wynonna rolled her eyes and drug her finger to another point across the map.

“And this is where the next supply drop is going to happen.” Wynonna said. “I’ll be meeting the new supplier here on Thursday and then taking it to Steve over here” Wynonna continued as she walked her finger to a different spot. “On Friday morning.”

“Who’s the supplier you’re meeting?” Nicole asked.

“I have no idea” Wynonna said with a shrug. “Now that Bobo has me here on the ground I don’t know who he has contacted to supply.” 

Bobo Del Ray. The identity behind the masked Banditos boss Wynonna had revealed during their first time working together. 

Wynonna had been working with Dolls and herself for a few weeks now and over the course of time Nicole had learned a lot more about the Banditos from the raven haired woman, who seemed suspiciously willing to divulge information to them. 

The Banditos were started and headed by Bobo Del Ray, a Purgatory local born and raised. A few years ago the Banditos were only local to Purgatory, a group of trouble making misfits. However as their numbers grew the gang had quickly begun to spread to surrounding towns, taking on more and more followers as they did. That is until the local law enforcement clamped down on Bobo and ran them out of town. 

Wynonna informed them despite moving more west and increasing revenue, Bobo could never let Purgatory go. It was like his obsession to come back to the town and take over, to show the citizens of Purgatory how strong he had become controlled his decision making and for the passed few months he had been relentless in his pursuit. 

However with Wynonna working with them, Nicole and Dolls were steadily picking his army apart. They were taking out every supplier that came into Purgatory, trying to coax Bobo out of the hiding he had gone into since the shooting. A place even his closest confidant Wynonna didn’t know about. 

“Ok so we will set up on Thursday night at the supply drop and grab this new guy.” Nicole said. 

“You can’t just jump on every supply drop.” Wynonna argued. “Bobo is a different kind of crazy Red. You don’t want to just up and piss him off. ” 

“This is our goddamn operation so I think we’ll run it how we want.” Nicole spit at Wynonna. Although a little time had passed, the animosity and rage she felt towards Wynonna had not. 

“Hey I’m just trying to help you out.” Wynonna said, hands raised in surrender. 

“You help us when we ask for it.” Nicole corrected her. “Otherwise shut the fuck up.” 

Wynonna took a step towards Nicole, jaw set and fist clinched like she wanted to do something and Nicole wished she would. 

Eventually Wynonna broke their standoff as she grumbled and got back into the back seat of the car. 

“Little harsh Haught.” Dolls rolled up the map and tucked it under his arm. 

“Had she come into town and ruined your life” Nicole remarked. “You’d be harsh too.” 

Nicole climbed into the driver’s seat as Dolls did they same on his side of the car before she drove them back to drop Wynonna off. 

“Will you be at Gus’s later tonight?” Wynonna asked before stepping out. 

“Yep” Nicole nodded. 

“Well unfortunately I’ll see you there.” 

Nicole watched Wynonna get back onto her bike and drive off before turning to a smirking Dolls. 

“What?” 

“Family dinner with the sister in law?” He laughed. 

“Shut up.” Nicole groaned.

——

Nicole sat on Gus’s porch swing with Waverly sitting sideways in her lap as Gus cooked dinner inside. Nicole had tried to help but Gus ihad nsisted she leave the kitchen. 

Nicole’s arms were wrapped around Waverly’s hips, the brunette humming some toon Nicole head never heard as she rocked them with her feet. The peacefulness of the moment letting Nicole breathe free the stress that had consumed her life for the past few weeks. 

As much as working with Wynonna had eased her professional life, it had done nothing but almost ruin her personally. She had been working with Wynonna behind Waverly’s back for a few weeks now and she hated it. She hated keeping anything from Waverly but especially this. She knew the brunette would be crushed if she ever found out about what the pair had been doing. The only thing worse than the gut wrenching, overwhelming guilt about hiding this secrets was the fact she still had no idea what to do about the situation. 

Nicole felt Waverly’s hands scratch her scalp above the back of her neck and she relaxed into the touch. 

“I’m so glad your arm is finally healed enough that you can wrap it around me again.” Waverly cooed. 

Nicole pulled Waverly tighter to her, her arm throbbing a bit with soreness. 

“Me too baby. I missed you.” Nicole whispered into Waverly’s neck, hoping the brunette couldn’t catch on to the real meaning behind it. She missed Waverly any time she wasn’t around her but what she really meant was she missed Waverly from before all this shit had happened. She missed how carefree she felt when she was with the other woman before Wynonna had strolled into town and destroyed that. Now all Nicole could do was fake everything being fine to keep Waverly in the dark and she hated Wynonna for making her do so. 

“Mmm I’ve missed you too” Waverly replied, resting her head into Nicole’s and raking her fingers through red locks. 

Nicole rocked the pair as she closed her eyes and breath in Waverly's scent. She had almost forgotten where they were until a car door slamming jolted her out of her happy place. 

“What up nerds?” Wynonna called from the driveway. Nicole didn’t even look up, she just closed her eyes tighter and tried to ignore the same dread that creeped through her everytime she was reminded that Wynonna even existed. 

“Hey Wy” Waverly greeted the other woman. “Come take a seat with us.” 

With that offer Nicole raised her head and looked at Wynonna who returned the same look of disgust she was wearing herself. 

“Nah I’m good. I’m going to see if Gus needs any help.” Wynonna declined and walked into the house. 

Waverly’s smile faltered and her shoulders slumped at Wynonna brushing her off. 

“She’s been acting really weird lately.”

Nicole felt her anxiety grow at Waverly’s observation. 

“Probably just trying to readjust to life in Purgatory.” Nicole assured her as she stood up and placed Waverly back down with a kiss. “Now let's go see if dinner is ready.” 

Waverly smiled up at her and intertwined their fingers as they walked inside. 

The four of them all sat around the dinner table in their usual spots, Gus at the head of the table with Wynonna beside her across from where Waverly and Nicole sat. Unfortunately this was not the first time they had all sat down to dinner together. 

They had done it once with both Nicole and Wynonna being super uncomfortable but after seeing how elated Waverly was Nicole knew she’d be wanting to do it again so that just meant she’d have to suck it up and deal with the weird dynamic that had been created between Wynonna and herself. 

“So Nicole, Waverly here tells me that you’ve been making serious strides with getting some of this filth removed from Purgatory” Gus said as she passed the potatoes over to Nicole. 

“I’m sorry baby, I just can’t help but brag on you sometimes.” Waverly admitted with a shy smile. 

“It’s okay.” Nicole beamed down at the other woman. “Yeah my partner and I have been working hard on the case so we’re glad it’s paying off.” 

“I’m glad too.” Gus agreed, taking a bite of peas. “We haven’t had this kind of problem in a while. I just hate to see our town riddled with that kind of trash.” 

Nicole glanced over at Wynonna who was just staring into her plate. She hoped she was taking in what Gus was saying but by the look on her face she was just ignoring her. 

“Yeah hopefully we will have all of it gone sooner rather than later.” She peered over at Wynonna who caught her eye and gave her a death stare. 

“Well I think it’s great the work you do here.” Gus continued. “Maybe you could get Wynonna into something like you’re doing.” 

The mention of her name finally made Wynonna look up at Gus, the woman wearing an aggravated look as she did. 

“Ahh come on Gus.” Wynonna said sarcastically. “You know I like to be on the other side of the bars.” Wynonna's repertoire making the other two women laugh. 

“Speaking of Nicole’s line of work.” Waverly said as she swallowed. “She and I went shooting one day and she is a dead shot Wynonna. I think she could even beat you.” 

Wynonna barked out a harsh laugh before shoving some steak into her mouth. 

“Oh what, you don’t believe that?” Nicole asked sternly. 

“I mean I’m sure you can shoot Red.” Wynonna explained as she chewed her food. “But you’re not better than me. I never miss where I’m aiming.” 

Nicole didn’t miss the wink Wynonna offered after her statement, it slowly grinding her gears even more than the woman already did. 

She’d never been one to back down from competition and she damn sure wasn’t going to start now. 

“Prove it then” Nicole challenged. “Let’s go shoot out in the backyard after dinner and see.” 

“Baby I don’t think Wynonna has a gun-“ 

Waverly's words cut off by Wynonna slamming her pistol down on the table between them. 

“Deal.” 

—-

The two women stood staring at one another with their pistols in hand in front of ten soda cans that sat perched along the fence 30 feet away. 

“Okay so rules are you get five cans apiece. Each person takes a turn and whoever hits the most wins.” Waverly explained from behind them. 

Both women nodded without looking away from one another.

“Wynonna you first” Waverly instructed. 

Wynonna turned and raised her pistol towards the cans. She shut one eye and aimed at the can on the furthest left. She gripped the gun harder and pulled the trigger, exploding the can that say across the field. 

“Ha!” Wynonna barked. “How do you like that Red?”

Nicole rolled her eyes at Wynonna as she turned and raised her pistol and exploded the can furthest to the right before turning back to Wynonna without saying a word 

Wynonna’s eye quirked at Nicole before she nodded and raised her gun back up, pulling the trigger and hitting her second can perfectly. 

Nicole didn’t even wait for Wynonna to lower her gun before she lifted hers and shot her second and third can back to back. 

Nicole stared at Wynonna’s as her jaw clenched and her eyes hardened, her actions seemingly angering the other woman. 

Wynonna shook her shoulders out before she shot her next can, leaving just the two remaining cans. 

Nicole didn’t even look away from Wynonna when she raised her gun again, eyes blazing at the other woman as she pulled the trigger and hit the can on the fence. 

She could see the tension grow as the pressure on Wynonna increased. Nicole knew her and Wynonna were engaged in what was essentially a pissing contest. She knew it was a battle for dominance the two had been engaged in since the moment they first met, neither wanting to lose. 

Wynonna smirked as she stared at Nicole and raised her gun just the same. Except after she shot her can remained on the fence. 

Wynonna wide eyed the missed can as her mouth hung open, making Nicole smirk as she felt Waverly jump on her back. 

“Yeeeeee” Waverly shrieked. “I told you Wynonna, my woman is good.” She bragged, kissing Nicole in the cheek. 

“Whatever.” Wynonna said as she scuffed she feet across the grass towards the fence. 

“How about you go on inside baby?” Nicole urged, pressing a kiss to Waverly’s lips. “I’ll help Wynonna clean up out here.”

Waverly nodded and made her way back towards the house. 

Nicole watched as Wynonna leaned down to clean up the pieces of aluminum around the fence. She knew she had shown Wynonna she wasn’t going to back down and she knew Wynonna had already known that but the darkness inside Nicole wanted to make sure the other woman really knew how serious she was

Nicole raised the pistol and pulled the trigger once more, hitting the last can off the fence as she did and making it explode beside Wynonna’s head. 

The other woman jumped, almost falling before she turned to Nicole with a shocked expression and a hand gripped to her chest. 

Nicole offered Wynonna a smile as she shook her gun in a wave before turning and walking back towards the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you guys tomorrow!


	18. Chapter 18: A reveal.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The shit has hit the fan here guys.

Nicole and Dolls sat in the dark SUV a few hundred feet away from the designated drop Wynonna had signaled them to a few days ago. They had discussed the plan of action thoroughly before the time had come. They would wait for the supplier near the drop point and pull them over on whatever chumped up traffic violation that seemed to fit before they would claim suspicious activity and search the vehicle, finding the drug supply. It was the same routine that the group had followed a few times now and always seemed to end with Dolls and Nicole driving another Bandito back to Purgatory Sheriff’s Department and Wynonna being left unsuspected. At first the group had just jumped Wynonna’s routes but after some digging by the raven haired woman they were able to spread out their attacks to relieve some suspicion off Wynonna. 

“I think that’s it” Dolls pointed out as a black charger worked its way towards them. 

Nicole squinted out the window and recognized the plate number from the information Wynonna had given them. 

“Yep that’s it.” Nicole confirmed with a nod of the head. “You ready.” 

“Let’s do it.” Dolls agreed. 

Nicole pulled off onto the road behind the charger and flipped on the blue lights and sirens. The car in front slowed down and pulled off the road into a wooded driveway before stopping. Nicole pulled off the road behind the car and hopped out, splitting the other car as they each walked to a window. 

Nicole rapped on the driver’s window with her knuckle as she looked around the woods that surrounded them, an uneasy feeling creeping into her chest at how surrounded she suddenly felt. The woman had pulled into a secluded wooded drive, trees towering around them that seemingly interconnected, creating a canopy effect that made it impossible to make sense of. 

The window began to move against Nicole’s fingers, drawing her attention back forward and revealing a young blonde headed woman. 

“Beautiful day officer. What can I do for you?.” She smiled innocently. Nicole had been through this a million times. The guilty ones were always overly nice. They basically gave themselves away. 

“Well you can start by giving me your license and registration.” Nicole said with a stern smile. 

“Sure thing” the girl responded as she dug out her documents from the passenger’s seat. Nicole thought that was a bit odd. She’d never known anyone to keep their registration in their passenger’s seat. It was almost like she was ready to get pulled over. 

Nicole took the documents from the girl and signaled to Dolls before they made their way back to their car and climbed in so they could pretend to run the ID they both knew was fake. 

“Does something seem off to you?” Nicole inquired. Everything was going as planned but something wasn’t right. The girl was too calm, much more calm than the other suppliers they had jumped. The other guys had been nothing but sweat and nerves and this woman was acting like she didn’t just get pulled over by the police with pounds of heroin hidden somewhere in the trunk. 

Dolls looked around outside of the car, searching for anything that may be off. 

“Everything looks alright to me.” He shrugged. 

“It’s probably just me.” Nicole shook her head, trying to brush free her anxieties. The demeanor of the woman had probably just thrown her off a bit. “Come on let’s go.” 

They both climbed out of the car and walked back to the waiting woman. 

“Okay mam we’re going to need you to step out of the car. “Nicole instructed, pulling the driver’s side door open. 

The blonde didn’t budge though. She just wore her same smile and looked up at Nicole expectantly. 

“I don’t think you want to do that Officer.” 

“Oh yeah? And why is that?” Nicole was surprised by the other woman’s actions. Usually when people were met with her kind of situation they blindly complied out of fear. 

“Because Nicole,”hearing her name made Nicole unbuckle her holster and place her hand on her gun. 

“It would seem you don’t see what I see or you wouldn’t have gotten back out of that car in the first place.” The other woman warned with a sly grin that morphed into a devilish laugh as Nicole tried to register what was going on. She was confused and trying to make sense of what was going on when she heard the first gunshot, a bullet that the ground at her foot. 

Nicole dropped to the ground, covering her head the best she could as gunshots suddenly rang out all around her. She couldn’t decipher where they were coming from. Bullets popped everywhere, the ground beneath her, the car beside her. They were surrounded. 

She called out to Dolls who answered from somewhere behind the woman’s car. She carefully crawled through the chaos as dirt sputtered all around her. She found Dolls crouched behind the car and she joined him as bullets skidded across the trunk of the charger. Being behind the car and noticing the lack of bullets that popped out from in front of them she could tell that the bullets were coming from behind them. 

The trees. Nicole knew they had to be coming from atop the trees. She signaled to Dolls to make a run for the car. Luckily she had parked it by the road and if they could only get there the trees would hopefully provide enough coverage for them to get away. 

She nodded at Dolls who agreed before they both jumped up and made a run for it out of the woods. Nicole could feel and hear the bullets as they whizzed by her body but she didn’t have time to think about it. All she knew was she had to keep running. 

They made it to the car and jumped inside, Nicole threw the car in drive and slammed on the gas as the tires spun against the gravel, trying to catch up to the engine. They drove as fast as they could until they reached Purgatory city limits, slowing as they felt the protection of the town calm them just a bit. 

“Are you hit?” Nicole called out to Dolls who quickly checked his body and shook his head. 

“No are you?” He asked. 

She shook her head because she didn’t think so but Nicole honestly wouldn’t have felt it even if she was. Her adrenaline was pumping through her body way too fast. 

“What the fuck was that?” Dolls yelled. 

She wasn’t sure what had happened but she knew there was only one other person that knew about their plan. 

Nicole gritted her teeth and gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles. 

“Wynonna.” 

—

“Hey hey man, watch the leather. This shit is genuine.” Wynonna grumbled as she tried to break free of the officer that was dragging her into the office with Nicole and Dolls. He pushed her forward and closed the door behind him. 

Wynonna collected herself, shaking her shoulders and readjusted her jacket. 

“Damn what the hell happened to you two?” She said as she took in Nicole’s and Dolls’s roughened appearance. 

Nicole watched the look of confusion develop on Wynonna’s face as Dolls’s grabbed her arms and tugged them behind her back before cuffing her wrist. 

“What the fuck is this shit?” Wynonna said as she struggled against Dolls. “What the hell is going on?” She looked at Nicole expectantly. 

Nicole stood up from her chair and stalked to where Wynonna was standing. 

“How about you tell us?” Nicole said as she eyed Wynonna, trying to get a read on whatever the woman had been planning for them behind her back. . 

“What the fuck are you talking about Haught?” Wynonna looked at her dumbfounded which only angered Nicole. That was one thing she always hated, when someone knew what they had done but decided to play coy anyway. 

Nicole slammed her hands down onto the table, the pain thumping through her arm fueling her anger towards the other woman. 

“You tell us Wynonna.” Nicole raised her voice. “We got fucking setup this morning. Shot. At.” She puncuated the words, hoping they would resonate with her. “We could have been killed.” 

Wynonna’s confused look turned to one of disbelief at Nicole’s words as she realized what Nicole was implying. If Nicole didn’t know any better she’d actually believe Wynonna’s ploy in acting like she didn’t know what was going on. 

“I didn’t have anything to do with that.” Wynonna defended. “I haven’t even talked to Bobo in a few days so how was I supposed to know this was going to happen?” 

“Oh I’m sure Bobo’s right hand man didn’t know about his plan to set us up. Information about us being there in the first place he could have only gotten from you.” Nicole scoffed in disbelief. “Do you actually expect us to believe that?” 

“Well it would be to your benefit if you did because it’s the truth.” Wynonna relented. She was getting more defensive as Nicole spoke. Something that the detective knew guilty parties typically did when corned with the truth. “I didn’t have anything to do with any of that. I wouldn’t have just let you guys walk into a deat trap. What kind of person do you think I am?.”

Nicole rolled her eyes at the other woman’s attempts to defend herself. Her throbbing arm reminding her exactly who Wynonna was. 

“I think you’re the type of person who stands above someone they don’t even know and shoots them.” Nicole moved closer to the other woman. “You looked me in the eyes and shot me Wynonna. That’s who I think you are. If it wasn’t for your shit aim you would have killed me.” 

“What?” Wynonna laughed out in disbelief. “I didn’t miss where I was aiming Haught. Bobo was going to kill you. I spared your fucking life.” 

“I saw your shooting Wynonna.” Nicole smirked. “So I highly doubt that’s the case.”

“Whatever Red.” Wynonna rolled her eyes. “I’m done trying to explain myself to you. I don’t owe you anything.” 

Nicole grabbed Wynonna’s collar and slammed her against the wall, getting into her face as the woman’s eyes lit with fire themselves. 

“How about your fucking sister Wynonna?” The mention of the younger Earp making Wynonna’s eyes flash with shame for a moment. “Don’t you owe her something? What happens when you let your boss and his thugs run into town and take it over? What’s she supposed to do Wynonna? You willing to risk your sister’s life for a little bit of money? You’re no different than that piece of shit you work for.” 

Nicole had been holding back on the oldest Earp since she arrived and she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Outside of the fact Wynonna had shot her, the girl represented everything that Nicole hated and then add how everything Wynonna does effects Waverly to the mix and Nicole could barely stand to look at her. 

“You don’t know anything about me” Wynonna yelled back, pushing against Nicole’s grip as she tried to get loose. 

“Maybe not Wynonna.” Nicole said through gritted teeth. “But I know I’m done working with you. You’re going to sit in a cell while I track down the rest of the Banditos and place them in there with you. I wonder what they’ll do when they find out you’ve been the rat the entire time.” 

“Guys!” Dolls deep voice booming around them and silencing their screaming match. Nicole turned to look at her partner as he signaled towards the door with his eyes. 

Both Nicole and Wynonna turned to look at the door, the sight before both women making their hardened appearances fall immediately. 

Waverly stood at the door holding Nicole’s lunch in one hand, and a balled fist with the other. Nicole wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing there but by the look of disgust and disappointment swirling through her tear filled eyes, Nicole knew it had been long enough.

Time seemed to still as Nicole tried to reverse it in her brain. She knew she should have told Waverly a long time again but she just couldn’t. Nicole could never find a way to put it in to words out of fear of what may happen. 

However the feeling she felt at the moment with Waverly gazing at her with a look she’d never seen the brunette don made Nicole wish she hadn’t been such a coward. She knew no matter how Waverly found out she’d be mad, but she never imagined it would happen like this. 

Tears fell from Waverly’s eyes as she finally turned and stormed out of the Sheriff’s Department, breaking the silent hold her presence had on the room. Nicole pushed off of Wynonna as both women chased after Waverly. 

“Waves”  
“Babygirl”

Neither of the women’s pleas made Waverly slow down as she pushed out of the door and stomped to her car. The brunette was walking with purpose and that intent seemed to be set on getting as far away from Nicole and Wynonna as possible. 

“Baby please.” Nicole pleaded, a desperation in her voice she hadn’t heard before but she didn’t care. She was desperate. Nicole would have dropped to her knees and crawled at Waverly’s feet just to get the brunette to turn around but she didn’t have to. 

Waverly stopped and turned to the two women who now stood side by side, tears staining her cheeks as she looked at the pair expectantly, waiting for one of them to talk. Nicole felt her heart plummet at the hurt that branded her girlfriend’s face as she tried to conjure up anything in her brain that would erase a look she hoped she would never have to see again. 

“Baby I can explain.” Nicole started, stopping when Waverly held up her hand. 

“I don’t want your explanation Nicole. I heard the whole thing.” Waverly stared. She was furious and Nicole knew it . “How long has this been going on?” 

“Since the beginning” Nicole admitted, she knew there was no point in hiding it anymore. By the look on her face she couldn’t disappoint Waverly anymore than she already had. 

“For weeks Nicole?” Waverly said, eyes shifting between the two women. “You guys have been lying to me for weeks?”

“It was for you own good babygirl“ Wynonna tried, guilt coursing through her features just the same as Nicole. 

“You don’t know what’s good for me or not Wynonna.” Waverly accused. “I have barely seen you in years. You don’t even know me at all.” 

Nicole could see Wynonna visibly flinch at Waverly’s words, them hitting the woman somewhere deep. 

“And you.” Waverly said with a point of her finger, snapping Nicole’s attention back toWaverly. “You were the one person I had. The one person who was always there for me. I trusted you Nicole. How could you do this to me?” She asked as she began to sob. 

Nicole could feel her heart break with every word Waverly spit out and every tear that fell down her face. She knew she was losing Waverly as she stood in front of her. 

“Waves I’m so-“ 

“No Nicole. I don’t want your apology.” Waverly said as she wiped her cheeks with her hands. “Just stay the fuck away from me.” 

And with that Waverly climbed into her car and drove off. 

Nicole watched, bolted down to the ground as Waverly’s Jeep became a small spec in the distance. She just stared at the red dot until it was completely gone, trying to make sense of what had just happened. The thrumming heartbeat in her chest slowing down to nothing as shame burned through veins. She couldn’t believe she had just become something she told herself she’d never be. Someone who hurt Waverly just like everyone else. 

She felt herself shutting down as the finality of Waverly’s words best through her head like a bass drum. She would have taken anything besides that. She would have taken punches, pushes, hateful words, anything beside what Waverly had actually said and the way she said it. She had wanted to chase after Waverly but her words told Nicole not to. 

The sniffling beside her reminded her of where she was. Nicole reached into her pocket and grabbed the keys to Wynonna’s cuffs before releasing the other girl’s restraints. She had been so caught up in handling her situation with Wynonna that she had let it ruin the only good thing that had ever happened to her, the only thing that really mattered. Waverly. Now all she wanted to do was get as far from the other woman as possible. 

“What are you doing?” Wynonna asked. 

“Just go Wynonna.” Nicole instructed, voice void of any emotion. “You’ve done nothing but wreak havoc since you arrived and no one even asked you to come back so just go.”

Nicole watched the other woman’s eyes fall as she rubbed her wrist and stalked off down the street. She knew it was harsh but she didn’t care. She didn’t have the emotional will to care about Wynonna. Not when her whole world has just been shattered before her. 

Nicole just stood there, unsure of where to go or what to do. Her cheeks were wet, from tears or rain drops she wasn’t sure but she could feel them. She savored the feeling because she knew soon she wouldn’t be able to. She couldn’t stop what she knew was about to happen, the same thing that happened when her parents kicked her out. Something she did to protect herself. 

The familiar feeling of her brain cutting off her emotions, voiding her of her sense to care or feel anything for anyone including herself, took over her as Waverly’s words played over and over in her head. 

Just stay the fuck away from me. 

What was she supposed to do now?


	19. Chapter 19: A Hint of Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Waverly’s POV until the very end in which it is Nicole’s. 
> 
> There’s some angsty, angry make-up smut in this chapter if you want to call it that so just skip if you’d like.

Five days. That’s how long it had been since Waverly had thought she would just be having a casual lunch with her girlfriend but had instead walked into something she would have never expected to see.

Waverly had noted a change in Nicole since Wynonna had arrived. At first she had chalked it up to Nicole giving her enough space to reconnect with her recently reappread sister. She had appreciated Nicole’s thoughtfulness, always one to think about Waverly and put her first. Something she had never experienced until the redhead came waltzing into her life. 

However as time went on Nicole became more standoffish. She would more often than not find excuses as to why she couldn’t come over. Waverly didn’t want to but she had begun to think Nicole was growing uninterested. She had known she didn't do anything to deter the redhead and she had wondered if it was because of Wynonna. 

She had noticed the silent animosity between the two women since the moment they had met. Both dorning hard faces anytime the other was around. Waverly had thought they just needed time to warm up to one another which is why she would typically encourage them all to spend time together. She wanted nothing more than to have her sister and girlfriend spend time together. Little did she know they had been handling that all on their own. 

When Waverly had first walked up to a scene she had now played over and over in her head her brain had to take time to process all of which it had just learned. Wynonna had been the one to shoot Nicole and the two had been working together behind the Banditos’s backs to bring down the gang, a gang Wynonna was apart of. Even now, five days later as she lay in her dark bedroom with curtains drawn and bedroom door shut it was still a lot to try and process. 

She knew an explanation was just a returned missed phone call away but she was being stubborn. She had spent the first few days curled up in her bed upset, passing between sips of whiskey and relieving sleep. She had wanted to call both Nicole and Wynonna but part of her wanted to be spiteful. She wanted the pair to yearn to talk to her since they hadn’t seemed concerned about doing that before. She knew she was acting like a child about the situation but she hadn’t been able to stop herself from wallowing in self pity. Which is why she found herself laying in her bed for nearly the fifth day in a row. She smelled, the room smelled, and she knew she needed to get up to feel better but she just couldn’t find the energy.

Waverly was so mad with both her sister and Nicole. Wynonna more so than the redhead. She was more hurt by Nicole’s actions than anything. She had come to expectf Wynonna to leave her out, not think about her before doing something but never Nicole. At first she didn’t understand why Nicole would do something like she had done, leave Waverly out of something like she had, but over time she had worked through the situation from the redhead’s point of view. She understood the rock and hard place Nicole had been stuck between but it didn’t change that she had decided to lie to her and leave her out instead of trusting her, trusting them enough to bring it to her. Waverly wasn’t as fragile as everyone made her out to be and it pissed her off that everyone assumed so. She could have handled it. She could have handled all of this but instead the two people who should she’s known better thought it best to treat her like a child and hide something from her. 

So yeah, now Waverly lay in her bed wallowing in self pity and seething in anger out of pure stubbornness. 

A small knock on her door brought Waverly out from under her covers. She knew she had locked her door and the only person that had a key was…

“Wave” Jeremy called out. “I know you’re in there and I’m coming in so you better be dressed.”

Waverly watched as Jeremy stumbled in with his hands covering his eyes.

“Jeremy I’m not naked. You can look.” 

Jeremy removed his hands and took in the state of the room. Turning up his nose as the stench of whiskey and stuffiness of the room hit his senses. Much to the groans of protest from Waverly Jeremy walked to each blind and pulled it open, revealing the bright setting sun of afternoon dusk. 

The light nearly blinded Waverly, making her cover her head with the covers once more in attempt to shield the first sign of daylight she’d seen in days. 

“Ughh Jeremy. What are you doing?” Waverly groaned. 

Jeremy walked over and snatched the covers off Waverly’s head, forcing the brunette to use a pillow as a shield. 

“I’m here to get you out of this funk Waves.” He said snatching the pillow from Waverly’s hands. “You’ve been cooped up in this room for five days. This isn’t healthy.” Jeremy was always good at this. At dishing out tough love when someone was in desperate need of as Waverly was at the moment. 

“I know you’re hurting but you can’t just sit here and wallow in self pity.” Wow did he know her so well. 

“Why not?” Waverly whined, turning over and burying her head in the mattress. 

“Because I’m not going to let you. You’re going to get up and get out of this bed. I’m taking you out for drinks so get up.” Jeremy instructed, slapping Waverly with the pillow in his hand. 

Waverly laid with her head in the mattress as Jeremy pelted her with her pillow. She really didn’t want to get up but she knew Jeremy would never relent if she didn’t. 

“Waverly don’t make me climb in there with you because you know I will.” Jeremy warned. 

Waverly popped her head up at that. She was aggravated by her best friend and if he climbed into her bed she might throw him off so to avoid their predetermined wrestling match Waverly decided to just cave and give him what he wanted. 

“Okay I’m up.” She said, blocking his next attempt at a pillow slap and throwing it back at his face. 

“Great.” He beamed, wearing a look of success he knew he’d eventually get. “You shower, please, and get dressed. I’m going to go wait downstairs.” He planned out as she walked towards her door. “You’ve got 20 minutes.” Calling out behind him as he closed the door. 

Waverly stretched muscles that had stiffen from days of laying stolic in bed, eyes dancing with darkness from the sudden movement. 

She glanced over at the bedside table and picked up the picture of her and Nicole she had laid face down a few days before. She traced the shape of Nicole’s face before putting it back down. 

“Okay Waverly.” She said to herself. “Stop being dramatic.” 

She jumped into the shower and washed away the days of grim that had accumulated on her skin. She put on her usual makeup before throwing on some clothes and making her way downstairs to a waiting Jeremy. 

“There she is.” He smiled and took her into a hug. “See doesn’t that feel better.”

Waverly embraced the boy and nodded her head. Jeremy was right. Just from simply getting up and showering and putting on clothes that weren’t Nicole’s old sweats, she felt rejuvenated. She had known that’s what she needed to do days ago. She just needed someone to force her to do it so she was glad Jeremy had come to her rescue. 

“Come on let’s go.” He encouraged with a rub of Waverly’s shoulder.

—-

The pair walked to Shorty’s, Purgatory's most favorite drinking well that was conveniently located down the road from Waverly’s apartment. She had been to the bar plenty of times, and on plenty of occasions so it felt like the perfect place to unwind while she continued to drink her sorrows. 

They chose a booth located near the bar, placing their drink orders with the young waitress. Jeremy has ordered a martini and Waverly had stuck to a whiskey neat. She figured there was no reason to mess up a good thing. 

“So are you going to tell me what happened?” Jeremy inquired as the waitress sar their drinks down. 

“I told you Jeremy.” Waverly said, downing the whiskey as soon as her glass hit the table. If she was going to have to talk about this, she was going to have to be drunk. 

Jeremy sipped his martini and winced. “No what you told me was that you got into a fight with Nicole and Wynonna and that you weren’t talking to them.”

“Exactly” Waverly said, reaching over and drinking from Jeremy’s martini. “What more is there to know?” 

Waverly knew she was bullshitting. There was so, so much more to the story that Waverly needed to share, but only if she actually could. She couldn’t tell Jeremy what was really going on without outing her sister and as furious as she was with Wynonna she couldn’t do that to her. 

Jeremy sensed the girl’s unwillingness to go forward with her explanation and decide it best not to push it. 

“Hey, just leave the bottle.” Waverly waved as the waitress poured her her third whiskey neat in 15 minutes. “You can take the glass.” She said as the waitress gave her a peculiar look. “Seriously take it.” Waverly pushed. 

She popped the spout off the whiskey bottle as the waitress retreated with her glass towards the bar. She turned the bottle up and took a big gulp as Jeremy watched with wide eyes. 

“What?” She said while wiping her mouth. 

Jeremy just smiled and shook his head as he took another timid sip from his now half empty martini. 

The pair sat in small talk as Waverly downed whiskey and shooed off drunk bar patrons that made their way to her table. She was drunk and hurt but she wasn’t that drunk and hurt. 

Waverly wasn’t sure if it was the warmth of the whiskey that had effectively buzzed her brain or the music from the jukebox that coursed through her body and made her tap her foot but eventually Waverly felt better. She felt better than she had in days and as she laughed at one of Jeremy’s jokes she basked in the fact that she finally didn’t have so many conflicting emotions pumping through her, she just felt relaxed. Well until...

“Uhh… Waves” Jeremy eyed the door wearily, catching Waverly’s attention who was bobbing to the music with her eyes closed. “We’ve got a problem.”

Waverly knitted her eyebrows in confusion as she followed Jeremy’s concerned eyes to the front door of Shorty’s where she took in the familiar slender, tall body that she had wrapped herself around so many times. 

Waverly stared at Nicole as she walked into the bar and took the corner booth near the door. 

Waverly’s heart clinched at the sight of Nicole. The redhead was visibly distraught. Her eyes were red and swollen, sunken in like she hadn’t slept in days. She had hair sticking out all over her head and her outfit didn’t even match. If Waverly dared to say, she’d assume Nicole had been going through the same thing she had these passed few days. 

Nicole’s eyes meet hers as they held each other’s gaze for a moment. Nicole made a move to step towards Waverly before Waverly looked away and pretended to look at a menu. 

She chanced a look up at Nicole, taking reprieve that her attention was too busy on the waitress to notice Waverly looking at her. 

“Do you want to leave?” Jeremy asked, sympathic eyes casted towards Waverly. 

“Hell no” Waverly answered. She grabbed the bottle and took a long swig from it before placing it back down. “We were here first. She’s not running me out of here.” 

Jeremy rolled his eyes at Waverly. He knew she was prideful and he knew that foolish pride got into her way more often than not. 

“Or you could just go talk to her?” Jeremy offered. He could tell Waverly was hurting and fighting herself on going to the redhead. 

“No” Waverly shook her head adamantly and took another swallow of whiskey. “No way.”

“Waverly you’re being stubborn.” Jeremy scrutinized, back off when Waverly shot him daggers with her eyes. “Look I don’t know what happened between you two but what I do know is that I’ve never seen you happier than when you’re with her.” 

Jeremy was right. Again. Waverly had never been happier than when she was with Nicole. She was mad and hurt but nothing had changed. She still loved Nicole dearly. If not for the alcohol she wouldn’t have been able to sleep without the redhead in the past week. All her heart wanted to do was go over there and dive into her arms that had been her happy place for the past three months. She fought that feeling though. For what reason she wasn’t sure. 

“Can we just drink and pretend she’s not here?” Waverly asked, vision trailing on Nicole who sat in her booth with downcast eyes. 

“Whatever you want Waves.” Jeremy shrugged. 

Waverly tried to ignore Nicole, she really did. However every time she found her mind drifting off when Jeremy would ramble on about his newest patient at work she would find her eyes fixed on the redhead that sat across the bar. Rarely did Nicole actually look up at Waverly, sorrow lacing her eyes when she did. This allowed Waverly to drink her in as she pleased. 

Even distraught as she was now, Waverly couldn’t deny how beautiful Nicole was. She had taken her breath away the first time she seen her and the effect Nicole had on Waverly had never subsided. Especially now with the alcohol coursing through her veins and the fact that Nicole hadn’t touched her in the way that made Waverly’s eyes roll back in a few weeks. Another thing Waverly had taken note of while Wynonna was here. Nicole’s lack of want persay. 

It would seem though that Waverly’s attention was not the only patron’s who Nicole had captured. Waverly thought she was just being crazy at first but as she watched the waitress run her hand up Nicole’s bicep for the second time during the visit to her table she suspected Nicole’s dimpled grin she offered the waitress had worked its magic on her too. 

“Waves are you alright?” Jeremy said, breaking Waverly out her trance. “If you squeeze that bottle any harder you’re going to break it.” He joked. 

Waverly looked down at her hand to notice her white knuckles wrapped around the neck of the whiskey. She only looked at them momentarily before a loud laugh across the bar brought her attention to where it had been before. 

The waitress now sat across from Nicole at her booth with her head tossed back in laughter and her hand placed over Nicole’s. 

Waverly didn’t consider herself a jealous person but as she watched the waitresses hand sit atop Nicole’s who seemingly didn’t notice as she smiled at the other woman she could feel the green eyed monster taking over her body. She didn’t know who this waitress was but if she didn’t remove her hands from her Nicole, Waverly was soon going to find out. 

Waverly took another shot of whiskey as she filled with the familiar sting of jealousy. Normally she would hate feeling this way but anything was better than what she had originally felt when Nicole had first walked in so she just let herself be consumed by it. 

Jeremy looked on in amusement as he watched Waverly grow more flustered. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out why. 

Waverly subconsciously grinded her teeth when the waitress drew her finger along Nicole’s forearm. She wanted Nicole to snatch back from the touch but she knew the redhead was too nice for such an action. This wasn’t something uncommon that happened to Nicole. Women flirted with her everywhere they went. However then Waverly had been there and Nicole had paid them no mind. Here, sitting here was different. Wavelry hadn’t minded the women before because Nicole’s attention was always hers but now Waverly sat across the bar and Nicole had avoided eye contact with her all night. 

When the waitress moved to sit on Nicole’s side of the booth Waverly was moving towards the table. She wasn’t sure what she was doing, but she knew she wasn’t going to sit back while this woman put her hands all over her Nicole. 

“What the fuck is this?” Waverly spit, pointing at the waitress furiously as she caught the pair off guard. 

The waitress looked between a very red Waverly and a shocked Nicole before she got up and eased out between the two of them. 

Nicole looked Waverly up and down for a moment, almost relaxing into the sight until she meets Waverly’s fire filled expression. 

Waverly had expected Nicole to be apologetic. She had expected her want to talk, if her 20 missed calls were any indication. What she hadn’t expected was the fire that Nicole met her back with. 

“Oh so now you want to talk?” She huffed out, taking the shot the waitress had been so gleeful to give her. 

Waverly was taken aback for a second at the anger Nicole spat back at her. Ok so maybe Nicole was a little mad at how Waverly had ignored her for a few days. 

“I want you to tell me what it was that you were doing here with that, that hussy?” She stammered out.

“What is this? 1920?”Nicole rolled her eyes and huffed out a laugh. She stood up and waved at the waitress behind the counter.. 

“You’re not talking to me” Nicole quipped, looking at Waverly with an almost cocky gaze. “So I guess I can talk to whoever I want to.” 

Nicole pushed passed Waverly and walked out through the car doors. Waverly didn’t want to admit the effect that Nicole’s defiance was having at her but it was doing a lot more than just pissing her off so she followed the retreating woman. 

“Hey I was talking to you.” Waverly called out as the pair stalked their way towards the police station. 

“Yeah well you did tell me to stay the fuck away from you sooo” Nicole replied, never stopping as she walked into the station with Waverly hot on her heels.

Waverly wasn’t sure how to react to Nicole. She knew she had pissed the redhead off with the way she had acted but Nicole had fucked up too. She didn’t get to just act like she had just been neglected. 

The pair stalked into the empty NGTF office that Nedley had designated just for them. Waverly pausing for a moment as she feelings of what she felt last time she was here flooded back. The feelings quickly dissipating when Nicole turned around to finally look at her. 

“What do you want Waverly?” Nicole asked, exhaustion lacing her voice. 

“I want you to explain yourself.” Waverly moved closer to Nicole. 

“Oh really?” Nicole sarcastically replied, moving a step towards Waverly herself. “Had you answered any one of my 20 calls I would have already done so.” 

Waverly couldn't deny the heat that pooled between her legs at the desire she felt for Nicole in that moment. The redhead’s eyes wild and defiant, glazed from the effects of alcohol. 

“Well I was pissed off at you.” Waverly defended. “I didn’t want to talk.”

“And now I’m just suppose to want to?” Nicole shook her head, a grin laced with disbelief breaking her face. “Look Waverly, I fucked up. I did. But I deserved a chance to explain myself before you just shut me out.”

Waverly pushes against Nicole’s chest, reacting involuntarily to the weak excuse the redhead had to offer. 

“You had weeks to explain yourself Nicole.” Waverly argued. “What were you doing then?” 

By this point Waverly was right in Nicole’s face, close enough for their nose to almost touch. 

“I was protecting you.” Nicole stood her ground. 

The look on Nicole’s face gave Waverly the urge to push back against her, to trying and remove the smugness she found there. However it also lit her body on fire so she decided to follow that. 

Waverly crashed her lips against Nicole’s roughly, pushing the redhead against the wall as she did so. 

Honestly she wasn’t sure what she was doing. She knew the alcohol had a lot to do with her reaction but the rage and want she could feel course through her body and spark the air was much more desirable than the loneliness and hurt she had felt for the past week so she decided to bury herself in that instead. 

“Waves” Nicole choked out, pulling her mouth back from Waverly’s. “Waves maybe we need to talk.”

Waverly shook her head at Nicole before she pulled her own shirt over it.

“No” Waverly disagreed. “No talking.”

Waverly knew Nicole was right. They needed to talk but trying tonight as the pair was drunk and heated at one another wouldn’t do anything positive for them. Instead they decided to come together in the way their bodies so desperately desired. A way that may have been messy, but the only one they knew they could come together in in that moment. 

Nicole smirked at Waverly before she leaned down and placed her hands on the back of Waverly’s thighs, picking the her up in one swift motion as she instinctively wrapped her legs around her waist. 

Nicole walked them backwards until Waverly felt her ass land on the top of the table. She blindly reached behind her and shoved the papers beneath her off the desk and onto the floor. 

She looked up at Nicole and stifled the moan that threatened to escape as she took in the hungry black blown pupils of the redhead. 

She reached up and grabbed the hair at the back of Nicole’s neck and yanked her down to her lips, the redhead shoving her tongue into her mouth as Waverly used her legs to pull Nicole’s waist closer against her center. 

She tried to get her whiskey drunk hands to work against Nicole’s shirt before giving up and just ripping it apart, scattering buttons throughout the office. 

Waverly winced a moment at her actions but Nicole didn’t even seem to even notice as she trailed her mouth down Waverly’s neck in hot open mouth kisses. 

Wavelry whimpered into the air as she pushed Nicole’s head harder in place causing the redhead to burying her teeth into her pulse point. 

Waverly had never been like this with Nicole. Every time the pair had engaged in this dance it had been a slow sensational exploration of one another. Something laced with soft touches and gently kisses. 

However this moment was different. This moment was nothing but desire and hurriedness. A dance filled with rough touches and tugs of hair. The air between them hot and angry. It was so different than normal and it seemed to be exactly what they both needed. 

Waverly felt the clasp of her bra pop open before she slid it down her shoulder and tossed it behind her. 

Nicole’s mouth was on her breast before she could even get the garment out of her hand. Waverly pulled her head down until Nicole twirled her tongue around her perk nipple and sucked it into her mouth. 

Waverly scratched at Nicole’s scalp as the redhead sucked on her nipple, making her chest heave in pants. 

As much as Waverly loved the foreplay that Nicole so thoroughly provided every time they were together like this she was desperate for some part of Nicole to touch her thrumming center and she didn’t want to wait. 

She pushed against Nicole’s head, moving it down towards where she needed her most. Nicole stood up and Waverly almost whined before The redhead gripped the waistband of her panties and ripped them down and off her legs before she bent onto the floor in front or her. Waverly noticing she wasn’t the only one who was ready. 

Nicole pushed Waverly’s skirt up until it sat askew around her waist. Where she usually placed soft kisses, Waverly felt Nicole nip down her thighs before pressing her hardened tongue into Waverly’s soaked entrance. 

Waverly released a guttural moan at the contact as she relaxed back onto her elbows against the table. She pulled one of her legs up and rested her foot against the edge, spreading herself wider for Nicole as she pushed the redhead’s head further into her center. 

She felt the arousal in her stomach grow quickly as Nicole worked tight circles against her clit with her tongue. It had been too long since Nicole had touched her like this and Waverly could feel it in the wetness that she knew was coating Nicole’s face. 

Nicole gripped her ass and pulled Waverly closer to her as she devoured her. Nicole’s tongue felt everywhere at once and the sensations of it made Waverly’s legs begin to quake. 

Waverly was so close, a mere flick of Nicole’s tongue away from reaching her peak but that’s not what she wanted. 

She gripped Nicole’s hair and tugged her until she was standing between her thighs once again. Waverly leaned up and brought Nicole’s mouth to hers, moaning as she tasted herself on the redhead’s lips. 

She pulled back and looked at Nicole who was staring at her expectantly, waiting for instruction. Waverly knew Nicole would never do anything without her instruction first and she wanted something from the redhead, needed something from her. 

“Fuck me Nicole.” Waverly gasped. 

She watched as Nicole’s eyes burned at her words before the redhead ran two of her fingers quickly through her slick folds and buried them deep in her entrance. 

“Shiiit” Waverly choked out at the contact, eyes rolling back in her head. 

Waverly worked her hips around the redhead’s fingers before she felt her pull back and slam back into her. The motion leaving Waverly breathless and desperate for more. 

She dug her fingers into Nicole’s shoulders, fingernails scraping against the skin she found there, the feeling making Nicole’s hips jerk against her hand.

Waverly worked her hips to meet every forward thrust of Nicole’s fingers, the redhead curling them slightly everytime she pulled out. 

“Baby..harder.” Waverly pleaded, letting the pet name slip out on instinct. 

Upon Waverly’s request she felt Nicole redouble her efforts as she thrust in and out of Waverly wildly and panted against where she had her head buried in Waverly’s neck. 

Waverly felt her body start to shake as her walls clamped down around Nicole’s fingers, her orgasm crashing through her with vengeance. 

Waverly tried to grasp onto Nicole and pull her forward but the redhead resisted, continuing her thrust and rubbing her clit with her other hand, desperately driven to push Waverly inor another release. She moaned out audibly at the added sensation, melting into the different sense of pleasure it provided. 

Waverly lost control of her body as she laid flat against the table and let Nicole have her way with her, animalistic noises coming from both her and the redhead as her second release wrecked her body. She felt Nicole slow and work her through her orgasm before she crashed above her, breathing heavily into Waverly as she relaxed against her. 

Waverly wasn’t sure what they had just done. She knew it wasn’t the smartest thing but she didn’t care. It felt so good to have Nicole inside of her, on top of her, psychically touching her in anyway that she just didn’t care about the consequences. She had missed Nicole and laying there with her even under those circumstances felt better than anything she’d been experiencing. 

Waverly wasn’t sure what the morning might bring but like Nicole had just done, she was going to take advantage of where the night had led them. 

—-

Waverly woke up a few hours later, curled into Nicole’s front as they lay naked on the couch in the NDTF office. She winced as her head pounded back against her eyes as she attempted to move them so she could take in her surroundings. 

She closed her eyes for a moment and snuggled further into Nicole, smelling the scent of the redhead mixed with the whiskey and sweat that had fueled their activities a few hours ago. 

Waverly didn’t remember when the pair had finally tuckered out and succumb to the sleep they had steadily fought as they made each other chase release after release. 

She reached over and checked her phone, noting that it must still be dark outside. She sat up slowly, not to disturb her swimming head or the sleeping redhead beside her. She watched as Nicole slept, smiling at the scene she had been missing due to her own stubbornness. She was still hurt from Nicole’s actions but she believed her when she said she was doing it to protect her. 

She was ready to talk to Nicole, for them each to exchange apologies so they could get back to where they were before but first, she need Tylenol. 

She decided to make the short walk to her apartment and grab some medicine so she could be back before Nicole woke up. She knew they’d both need it before they could even think about handing a coherent conversation. 

Waverly leant down and kissed Nicole on the top of her head before she pulled the blanket more snuggly around her. She got dressed and creeped her way out of the Sheriff’s Department, feeling relieved when she got outside undetected on her walk of shame. 

Waverly let the cold air of the night wash over her as she walked towards her apartment, smiling as the memory of the night played through her head. She could still feel the effects of the activities in her legs, the soreness acting as a reward to Waverly. 

Waverly had started her day just like she had started the four days before that one, miserable but she had ended it where she knew she belonged despite everything else, in Nicole’s arms. 

—- 

Nicole awoke with a startle. The slight lack of recollection from the night before causing her to whip her head around wildly before she recognized the familiar room around her. 

She grabbed her head and flopped back down onto the couch as she covered her eyes and waited for it to stop pounding.

She rolled over to bury her head into the cushions of the couch when she realized that the presences of a certain someone was noticeably absent. 

Nicole looked around for Waverly, not finding the brunette in her search. She felt a sense dread fill her heart as she thought about the brunette getting up and leaving her after the night they had shared. Despite the circumstances at which they had came together she had thought Waverly was happy to do so but maybe she was wrong. Maybe Waverly had jumped the gun on their recollection. 

Regardless of the reason Nicole wasn’t going to let Waverly walk away this time. She was going to chase after her and do whatever it may take to win the brunette back. She had acted tough last night out of spite of being ignored but really she had been a completely mess since Waverly left her standing in the parking lot. 

Nicole gathered her clothes up and got dressed, shaking her head as she attempted to button her ruined shirt before zipping her jacket up to her neck. She stalked out of sheriff’s Department towards Waverly’s apartment. She knew the brunette hadn’t driven anywhere so she had to hope Waverly had walked back to her apartment. 

With the building in her sight Nicole made her way over to it, running through the different scenarios of what to say to the brunette as she did.

Nicole approached the door to Waverly’s apartment, bringing her hand up to knock as the door pushed open slightly at her touch. Her heart began to race as she noticed the broken frame before her. 

Nicole pushed the door open and rushed inside Waverly’s apartment, eyes scanning her surroundings as she took in the destroyed room around her. 

“Waverly” Nicole called out to no answer. 

She ran upstairs and busted into Waverly’s bedroom, seemingly untouched with no one in it. 

“Waverly” Nicole called out again, trepidation dripping through her voice now. 

Nicole ran through the apartment and pushed open every door, panic flushing through her the longer she went without her eyes landing on Waverly. 

Nicole rushed back down into the kitchen and looked around, a flash of red on the counter catching her eyes. 

She walked over and brushed her fingers against the stain, the feeling of the liquid between her fingers giving her the confirmation her brain was trying so hard to fight against. 

Blood. 

“Waverly” Nicole called out once more, quieter this time as she already knew there’d be no answer, looking around the empty apartment for no one. 

Waverly was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Of course the angst couldn’t end there!


	20. Chapter 20: Company worth having

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly’s kidnapping and crazy Nicole comes out to play. She’ll be here a while.

Waverly’s smile faltered when she reached up to put her key into the now broken lock of her front door. She sensed the presence of someone else being there before she felt them push her through the damaged front door from behind. She hit the floor of her apartment with a thud, knocking the air out of her lungs as she tried to comprehend what was going on, but she knew she was in danger as her body went into a fight or flight response mode. 

The man attempted to grab Waverly from behind but she rolled over just in time to bring her foot up and collect it with the man’s nose. Fight she decided. She heard the crunch beneath her foot before she used her grip on the couch to pull herself up, noticing only now that her apartment had been destroyed. 

Her adrenaline was pumping as the man in front of her groaned and held his nose. He was a grimy figure with long greasy hair and a couple of rotting teeth that occupied an otherwise empty mouth. She needed to make a decision quick. He had the door block so she couldn’t run out so she frantically searched around for another option. 

She tried to run upstairs to retrieve her gun, deciding that getting to that was her best bet, but was grabbed around the ankles and pulled back down. 

The man wrapped her up around her chest and attempted to carry her backwards towards the door as waverly hung onto the railing of the stairs for dear life. She head butted him in his already bloody nose which made the man drop her immediately. 

“Ahh fuck. You stupid bitch. ” he groaned, kicking her wall as he bellowed out in pain. He stood tall, raising to his full height and pulled a switchblade out of his pocket, flipping it open.  
“That’s it. I’m done playing with you.” 

He swiped the knife at Waverly as she moved to dodge it, throwing her hand up in defense just in time to feel the sting of the blade as it made contact with her hand. Distracted by the cut she felt a blow to her stomach that knocked her backwards, catching herself on the counter before she fell. 

The man had her corned and she knew she was a quite a strength disadvantage. She hastily searched the drawers around her, scared to look away from the knife wielding man as he stood, watching her like a wild dog that had found his prey. She felt her hand land in something pointed so she grabbed it and pulled it out. 

An ice pick. 

She moved to stab the man but he caught her hand and banged it against the counter, enough force to make her drop her last means of defense. She tried to reach and pick it up but he just kicked it away. 

She knew she had lost the upper hand when he landed a solid blow against the side of her head, knocking her to the floor in a daze. She tried to clear her mind but the fog threatened to take over. 

She couldn’t feel her body moving but she knew it was as the view of her apartment pulled further away from her. 

When she felt the familiarity of cold concrete below her she knew she was outside. She could hear the low rumble of a truck and her instincts began to kick in once more as panic began to pump her adrenaline faster, clearing her mind in a rush. Never let them get you into a truck her daddy had always said. Once they’ve got you in a vehicle, you’re theirs. 

She tried to scream but she wasn’t sure if she actually was or not. She gripped onto the gravel beneath her, trying to find purchase on anything that would hold her in place but not finding enough leverage to resist the man’s pull. 

She clawed and scratched at the earth surface beneath her until her fingers felt raw. She knew they were cracked and bleeding but she couldn’t stop. She called out Nicole’s name, for what reason she wasn’t sure. She knew Nicole couldn’t hear her from where she was. 

She heard the creak of a truck door open as she turned over and kicked at the man as a last ditch effort to avoid a doomed fate that seemed inevitable. He laughed before he brought his foot down against her head, the blackness swallowing her whole and leaving her limp. 

—-  
Nicole watched as the cops retreated and returned to and from Waverly’s apartment with bags of evidence she had instructed them to collect. She had blocked off the entire street for the investigation. 

When she had seen the broken door she knew immediately something was wrong. She had hoped that it was just a break in and that she would find a frightened, but safe Waverly upstairs. However she knew in her gut that wouldn’t be the case and the scene that sat before her only confirmed that. 

After realizing Waverly was nowhere to be found, she had ran back to the Sheriff’s station and collected every cop she could. She couldn’t be sure how or when the attack happened but she knew if someone had taken Waverly they would need to shut down every road leading into and out of Purgatory. 

She had assigned every local cop on duty to pick a road and to check every vehicle that tried to pass. That was hours ago and no word had come through of anyone suspicious. 

“Haught.” Dolls called out as she jogged up to her. “What the hell happened?” 

“Wave-“ Nicole choked on her words, barely able to muster them out as she couldn’t believe what she was actually about to say. “They got Waverly.” 

“Who?” Dolls inquired, eyes wide in a panic similar to Nicole’s when she had first walked into Waverly’s apartment. 

“Banditos” Nicole said with certainty. She hadn’t actually seen anything that would point her in that direction but she knew it had to be them. They were the only ones with a reason for something like this. At first Nicole thought it could have been a break-in gone wrong but quickly discovered something more sinister at play when she realized nothing was missing. This hadn’t been a break-in. This had been a kidnapping. 

She took in the scenery around her, mind trying to grasp what she was seeing. Blue lights flashed and illuminated everything around them. Yellow tape strone across the street as evidence markers sat upon the ground. People were everywhere, standing and watch as cops shouted instruction to one another. All in front Waverly’s apartment. Her Waverly that had been curled into her side just hours ago, now gone. Going through something Nicole hated to imagine. 

Nicole clenched her teeth as her mind conjured up images of what must have transpired where she stood just hours before. She smiled slightly because she could tell by the scene that Waverly had fought back, that she hadn’t let them take her easily. Waverly was a fighter and she knew fighting back in some instances could get you killed but she could still feel Waverly with her. No matter where they had taken her, Waverly was still alive and Nicole was going to find them through any means necessary. Part of her wanted to break down but she couldn’t. Waverly had fought and so would she. Anything for Waverly. 

“Come on Dolls.” Nicole said determined, pushing passed him as she walked towards the Sheriff’s office. “If they took her we’ve got to explore every possible option of where they went.” 

Dolls jogged to catch up with a quick moving Nicole. 

“You don’t think she’s-“ Dolls started to say before Nicole stopped abruptly and cut him off. 

“No she’s not.” Nicole retorted, before pushing into the Sheriff’s Department doors and making her way to their office. 

“But what the hell would the Banditos want with Waverly?” Dolls asked. 

“I’m not sure.” Nicole answered because she wasn’t. She didn’t know what the Banditos plan was here, what they wanted to accomplish with whatever they were doing with Waverly and she didn’t want to think about it. If she let her mind wonder there she knew it may never come back, that she would be trapped in a picture show of the many horrid things that could be happening to Waverly at that very moment. She couldn’t because she had to keep her head clear. She had to fight for Waverly. 

—-

Waverly awoke in a dim lit room, her vision blurry as she tried to make out her surroundings. She didn’t recognize anything around her as she sat in the darkened room with no windows. She knew she was somewhere secluded by the lack of noise that echoed from outside, that or she was in some sort of sound proof hell box. 

The room was bare, concrete walls and concrete floors that made Waverly’s body shiver as she sat on the cold surface. The only things in the room were the hard metal water piping that Waverly found herself chained to, and a chair that sat across the room near the only door. 

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been there, in that room chained down, but she imagined it has been a while if the blood crusted feeling on her cheek was any indication. She examined the rest of her body for any injuries and felt an ironic sense of relief that she seemed to be untouched outside of the blow to the head and her cut hands. 

She sat back and tried to make sense of everything that happened, most parts too blurry for her to remember. She was trying to piece together the bits and piece she could recall when the door to the room slammed open startling her into her nightmare. 

A man walked into the room, the same long haired assailant that had attacked her in her apartment, except this time he wore a brace over his nose. Waverly almost smiled as she recalled busting his face the few times she managed to get a lick in. He may have won eventually but she hadn’t let him do so easily. 

He walked over and knelt down in front her, running a grimy finger down her cheek that made Waverly recoil at his touch. He smelled rotten, coated in a stench of body odor and something Waverly did not recognize. 

“Well look who's up.” He smiled at Waverly, making her stomach churn in disgust. “You know you really did a number on me girly. Broke my nose in two different places.” 

“Isn’t that unfortunate?” Waverly smarted off. She was scared, very scared but she didn’t plan to let him know it. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. “Because you were so pretty before.” 

The man chuckled at Waverly’s response before grabbing her arm sternly, squeeze the bicep he found purchase on. 

“You’re a fiesty one aren’t ya?” He asked, face more serious now. “How about we find out just how fiesty you are huh?” 

He began to run his other hand up Waverly’s leg, causing her to squirm beneath him, before a voice bellowed in from the door, stopping the man’s motions. 

“Steve for fucks sakes” the man groaned. “Leave our poor guest alone.” 

The figured walked into the room as Waverly took in his appearance. The man stood tall, towering over the other man in height. He had a blonde streaked Mohawk and wore a leopard print jacket, an odd looking figure she vaguely recognized but couldn’t be sure exactly who he was. He shooed Steve away and took a seat in the chair the sat across from her. He stared at her, face fixed in excitement like he had just won a carnival prize causing Waverly to grow more uncomfortable as time passed. 

“Waverly Earp” He finally spoke, catching Waverly off guard at how he addressed her by her name. “I’ve waited a loong time to meet you.” 

“Ho-How do you know my name?” Waverly stammered, nerves growing with the presences of the man who seemed to know more about her than she would ever amused. 

The man smiled and leaned back in his chair, pulling a cigar out of his jacket and lighting it before taking a drag. 

“Oh I’ve been watching you for a while now Waverly” He said amusingly, blowing smoke into Waverly’s face. “You didn’t think I’d know the sister of the girl who sold me out and the girlfriend of the cop who has been taking out my team ?” He chuckled. “you’re really the only person I need to know at the moment.” 

Bobo Del Ray. Waverly recognized the man now. She had seen his face plastered on newspapers when she was younger, headlines reading horrible things about the man that had been run out of time years prior. 

“What do you want from me Bobo?” Waverly asked, patiences growing thin with her situation. 

Bobo’s eyes lit up as his name passed through Waverly’s teeth, a smile donning his sinister features. 

“I want you Earp.” He spit. “I’ve been through the whole lot of you but you always eluded me, hidden away behind the rest of your family’s shield. I always knew you were there but I just couldn’t seem to get to you then Steve saw you with that ginger cop friend of yours. Girl I didn’t even know you were still in Purgatory. I would have been left this hell hole by now. ”

“Is that why you’re here now?” Waverly asked sarcastically. 

“Nah I am back take what’s rightfully mine.” He said as he took another puff of his cigar. “This is my town, just like the Earps are mine as well and I’m just here to collect.” He gazed at Waverly like he was salivating at the mouth. He seemed to have enough crew to operate just fine, she wasn’t sure what he wanted with her. 

“I-I can’t help you Bobo” Waverly said. “Do I look like I’d be good at pushing drugs for you?” 

“Most definitely not.” Bobo chuckled as he shook his head. “But luckily that’s not what I want you for. You see your sister didn’t have much to offer, no real skill of any kind so all I could do was get her to move my supply. It was the only thing she didn’t fuck up. But you” He said as he knelt closer to Waverly. “You my sweet angel are much more valuable than that. You’ve got skills that could be vital to us.”

Waverly realized what the man was implying. He was referring to her medical school training. He wanted to her come work as his doctor. 

“You can go to hell.” She said through gritted teeth. 

Bobo let out a breathy laugh before his face flashed in anger and he bent down and grabbed her face, pulling it closer to his. 

“You Earps, always so fucking defiant.” Bobo said, anger lacing his voice. “You’re going to work for me or I’m going to find that ginger cop girlfriend of yours and do what I should have done months ago when I had the chance. After that I’m going to find that bitch sister and put her down like the dog she is.”

Waverly's hardened features faltered for a moment at the mention of the pairs names before she shook that free. Nicole would want her to be strong, to keep fighting. 

“They’ll come for me you know.” Waverly informed him. Bobo furrowing his brow at Waverly’s intent. “Wynonna and Nicole, they come for me.” 

Bobo stood back up and let out a bellowing laugh, almost doubling over in tears. 

“You mean to tell me” he said between breaths. “That-that the sister who rarely even comes to see you and the girlfriend of yours that she shot are going to team up and come save you?” A spell of laughter hitting him once more. “Oh Earp, oh-that’s a good one.” Laughs echoed down the hall and he retreated from the room. 

Once Bobo was gone, Waverly exhaled a shaky breath she didn’t realize she was holding as hot tears worked into her eyes. She blinked them away as she shook her head and reassured herself. 

“They’ll come for me.”

——

Nicole breathed in the sting of the cold air into her lungs. She had busted outside moments ago, needing to get out of the room her and Dolls had just spent hours in going through every piece of information they had, trying to decipher where Waverly could be only to come up with nothing.

No matter what either one of them suggested, what theory they created, everything came up empty. It was like Waverly had just disappeared, vanished without a trace into a place not even found on a map. 

Nicole felt her lungs tighten at the thought. 

“Snap out of it Haught.” She slapped herself a few times, shaking off the pending panic attack she could feel rising in her chest. Now was not the time to break down. She had to keep searching, keeping looking for Waverly. 

She took another deep breath before walking back into the starion. She made her way down the hall, offering a polite smile to the officer that passed her, something on his phone catching her attention. 

A picture. A bright, smiling picture of someone who she thought she recognized, someone she had seen recently. She racked her brain trying to pull the face from her memory before it hit her. 

“Hey what the hell?” The cop yelled as Nicole grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into the NDTF office, throwing him down into one of the chairs that sat at the table and startling Dolls in the process. 

“Haught what’s-“ Dolls started to question before Nicole interrupted him. 

“Show us your phone.” She looked at the cop expectantly. 

He looked at her with a strange expression, clearly confused by Nicole’s sudden outburst. 

“Wh-what’s going on here?” He stammered, looking between Dolls and Nicole as she stood over him. 

“Show us your fucking phone.” Nicole stood her ground, her chest growing with rage at the fact that she was forced to ask the guy again.

“I don’t have to show you anything.” 

Defensive. 

Nicole snapped and brought a right hook to the guys face, catching him by surprise. She grabbed the back of his neck and gripped it with steel strength. 

“You show us your goddamn phone right now or I swear I’ll bust your head into this table until I can get it myself.” She whispered in his ear through a clenched jaw. 

The guy’s shaky hand removed his cell phone from his pocket before he threw it on the table, flinching as Nicole’s hand passed him to retrieve it. She unlocked the phone to confirm what she thought she saw in the hallway. There on the man’s phone was a picture of the blonde woman they had pulled over days before. 

She held the phone up to Dolls as he worked to decipher what Nicole was doing, jaw setting as he realized what Nicole had already figured out. The guy knew the woman that had been apart of the set up a few days ago, knew her well enough that she was the background on his phone. She knew someone had set them up and she had thought Wynonna but the raven haired woman had been telling the truth. 

Nicole felt herself lose control, felt the grip that held a stronghold on her darker side slip as she took in the picture on the guys phone. He had been working with the Banditos which meant he must know where Waverly was at. All Nicole could see was this man stalking Waverly back to her apartment as she walked through the night, attacking her from behind and dragging her into his car. All Nicole could see was red. 

She grabbed his head and slammed it into the table he sat before, making him groan out in agony as his nose started to bleed profusely. 

She picked his head back up off the surface and slammed it back down into the table again, pulling incoherent groans from the cop as she did. 

“Where the fuck is she?” She gritted in a deep, dangerous voice as she gripped the back of his scalp with her hand, fingers wound painfully tight into his hair. 

“I-I don’t know.” He said throwing his hands up. “I don’t know I swear.” 

Nicole hated his answer, the fire in her chest blazing on as the man tried to play dumb. She pulled him back and connected her first with his face, knocking him to the ground. 

The cop lay on the ground, battered and bloody as Nicole stood over him. She knew she needed stop, needed to calm down but images of Waverly being drug through the street spurred her on. She didn’t care how she had to do or who she had to go through, she was going to find Waverly even if it meant she had to go to places within herself that she’d only been a few times. 

She pulled out her gun and pointed at the shaking man below her, making him squirm backwards away from her. 

“You tell me where the fuck she is right now. .” Her hand was shaking as she held the gun towards him. She honestly didn’t want to kill the man but it scared her to know she would if she had to. 

“Haught come on, put the gun d-.” Dolls nervously warmed, visibly on edge at what Nicole might decide to do next. 

“No” Nicole yelled desperately. She was furious now as she knelt down beside the nearly sobbing man, pressing the barrel of her gun so hard against his skull she knew it would bruise. “No Dolls. He’s going to tell me where the fuck she is or I’m going to put a bullet in his skull so you fucking tell me right now goddamn it” her voice trembling with anger as she rushed out the words in an almost pleading tone. A pleading tone resulting for the desperation she had reached to find Waverly and the desperation she felt for not wanting to shoot this man even though she knew she would. 

“I-I-I don’t know.” The man cried, hands held up in surrender. “Please-please. I-I sw-swear I don’t know where she is. I was only told to tip them off the next time you guys were planning on jumping one of their suppliers, that’s it.” He rushed out, pleading with Nicole as she adjusted her grip on the gun. “Pl-please you gotta believe me. I don’t know where she is.” 

Nicole’s rage was scaring her. She could see the truth in the man’s eyes but she was so angry she had almost convinced herself he wasn’t telling the truth. She had almost convinced herself to shoot the man. 

Instead she stood up and reholstered her gun before grabbing a chair from the table. She lifted it above her head and slammed it against the floor beside his head, shattering it as she did so. She wasn’t sure where the behavior came from, all she knew was that she had to get some of the anger out before she exploded. 

She was furious at her situation, at the fact that Waverly was probably hauled up somewhere in some grimy room with a bunch of men doing god knows what to her and she was there, letting it all happen with the more time she took to find her and they had been getting nowhere. They had been searching and reading through all their materials for hours and had gotten nowhere with it. Nicole felt furious at herself too, resounding what ifs coursing through her as she wished she had just handled the situation different so she could have kept Waverly safe. Her Waverly. 

She knew what she needed to do, as much as she didn’t want to she knew it had to be done. She had to get to Waverly soon and she knew that there was only one person who could help her do it. 

She flung the door to the office open and walked into the middle of the bullpen, pinching her nose as she thought about what she was about to say before raising her voice so everyone could hear. 

“Somebody get me Wynonna Earp.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dolls?? I was really surprised at the theories on that. I seriously almost changed my story for it but alas I couldn’t do the dragon man like that so it’s just a regular ole informant.


	21. Chapter 21: A Flashback

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter compared to the last two. No Waverly in this one but it does have the Wynonna backstory everyone has been wondering about. I’m going to try to get the next chapter out tomorrow but i suspect it’ll be long.

-You have reached the voicemail of Dr. Waverly Earp. I am unavailable to take your call right now but if you will leave me a short message, or not if you don’t like, I will try to get back to you at the earliest convenience. Thank yo-Oh wait, leave your number too. I’ll need that to call you back. Uh-than-thank you.-

Wynonna listened to the rambling mess that was her baby sister’s voicemail for what felt like the 100th time in the passed week before ending the call like she had done every time before that when Waverly had ignored her. She had been staying at Gus’s and steering clear of Waverly since everything blew up at the Sheriff’s station because she couldn’t face her just yet. Her aunt had encouraged her to go over to her sister’s apartment, to explain herself and make amends but she didn’t even know where to start. Plus she knew there was nothing quite as intense as Waverly Earp’s rage when she got mad and she figured walking into that warpath while she was still wound up would only make it worse. Even if she could muster up the courage to go see Waverly, she didn’t even know how to begin to explain the secrets she had been hiding from her for so long. 

Wynonna hadn’t lied though, when she said it was for Waverly’s own protection, she hadn’t lied because it was. When her parents and Willa died, Wynonna’s main priority had immediately become to protect Waverly at all cost and she had been doing that successfully up until this point. She had kept the brunette in the dark and out of the spotlight, fighting as hard as she could to make sure her sister could live a normal, peaceful life even if that meant hers was a complete disaster. Waverly had never understood that, always angry at her when she’d have to go away. She just never knew why. 

Yes, Wynonna had efficiently protected Waverly like she had always promised herself she would. 

However, like any other time she was involved in something, Wynonna had brought destruction with her when she came back to Purgatory. A place she probably would have never stepped foot back into if she could have helped it. Not just because the town was filled with ghost she couldn’t seem to escape, but because she needed to protect Waverly from herself too. Wynonna had always considered herself to have a knack for trouble, the one thing she was good at. She figured if being born an Earp made people think she was no good anyways, then she might as well have fun with it so she more often than not found herself in some sort of trouble. Which is why she had to leave, to keep her trouble away from Waverly. 

Much to Gus’s protest, Wynonna knew Waverly was better off without her around so she made arrangements to get out of town and she hoped that time would allow her to one day mend what she had broken. 

She was just about to climb onto her motorcycle when she looked up and saw the police cruiser pull up. 

“God, what now?” She asked herself as she removed her helmet. 

Sheriff Nedley got out of the car and offered her a quaint smile before removing his hat. 

“Detective Haught has requested you.” He said timidly. He had witnessed the fiasco that had happened at his station a week prior so he knew Wynonna wouldn’t be too keen to help the officer. 

Wynonna rolled her eyes and scoffed at the man, like she’d help that asshole with anything else. 

“You can tell Detective Haught I said to suck a di-“ 

“Wynonna it’s your sister.” Sheriff Nedley said sternly. 

Wynonna’s heart began to race as she looked at the worry etched on the man’s face. She didn’t know what he meant, but she knew it couldn’t be good. She threw her helmet back on before calling out to him. 

“Lead the way.” 

——

Nicole sat in the office as she reluctantly waited for Wynonna to arrive. She hated the idea of having to work with the woman she so desperately despised but she knew Wynonna could offer more insight into where they could find Waverly than anyone else and that’s all that mattered. Waverly. 

She could pinpoint the moment the woman walked into the Department, noises that made Nicole wince just seemed to follow Wynonna everywhere she went. 

“What the hell Haught?” Wynonna yelled as she stalked into the office. “My fucking sister has been kidnapped and you didn’t think to call me?” 

Nicole was ashamed at how long it had taken her to realize she needed the other woman’s help, her own stubbornness and rage getting in the way of what she should have been focused on. Waverly. 

“I was uh- wrapped up in things here.” Nicole defended, running a finger over her bruised and battered knuckles. “Plus you’re here now so let’s not waste anymore time.” 

Wynonna wanted to argue but stopped herself, she knew Nicole was right. Arguing with one another wouldn’t do anything but waste the time they needed to be spending focused on Waverly. 

“What happened?” Wynonna asked. 

Nicole shook her head and looked over all the information that herself and Dolls had assembled on the board. 

“Sometime during the night last night Waverly was walking back to her apartment when someone attacked her. She put up a fight but they got her anyway. We’ve investigated the scene and it was a straight kidnapping. So far we’ve searched every place we know the Banditos to have and still nothing.” Nicole clenched her jaw at the last part, fighting the urge to punch a hole through the investigation board that had led them to nothing. 

Wynonna’s eyes widen at the last part of Nicole’s explanation. 

“You think it was the Banditos?” She asked, nerves wracking through her voice as she spoke. 

“I know it may be hard to believe that your buddies would kidnap your sister Wynonna.” Nicole scoffed. “But it was them.”

Nicole had halfway expected a rebuttal from the other woman but instead all she saw was a panicked Wynonna, something she had yet to see and was not sure how to react to. Despite the numerous situations Wynonna had been in since arriving to Purgatory, the things Nicole had made her face one thing that she’d get to see until now was a panicked Wynonna. She never seemed to let anything bother her, something that had led Nicole to believe she was dead inside. Right now though, Nicole could see she was losing her grip. 

“Fuck” she breathed out in a panic. “How the hell did he even get to her? How the fuck did this happen? I-i thought I’d done enough to keep her safe, to keep her away from all of this. H-he didn’t even know where she was.” 

Wynonna was in a full blown panic now, chest heaving as she tried to catch up with her racing heart. 

“What do you mean Wynonna?” Nicole asked, trying to get her to further explain but Wynonna was incoherent. 

“Hey nah-uh.” Nicole said, snapping her fingers to try and get Wynonna to look at her. “We don’t have time for this Earp. Waverly is waiting for us.” 

The mention of Waverly’s name seemed to bring Wynonna back to reality as she took deeper breaths and blinked back the tears that were threatening to spill out. She nodded her head and sat down at the table. 

Nicole fixed her a cup of water and placed it in front of her. 

“Here drink this, it’ll help you calm down.” Nicole instructed as she sat across from her. “Now, tell me exactly what you meant when you said you tried to keep her away from all this?” 

Wynonna took a big gulp before looking at Nicole with reluctant eyes. 

“It all started after Willa’s funeral…” 

—

Wynonna stood over the freshly covered grave of her sister as she wiped tears from her eyes and drank from the fifth of whiskey in her hand. 

It wasn’t normal for Wynonna to be drunk, well not this early at least, but she hadn’t been to bed so she chalked it up to still being nighttime for her. Plus she had just buried her sister the day before so she deserved a drink. 

She sat down at the head of the grave as she recalled the past few days. Wynonna couldn’t say that the call from Sheriff Nedley had been surprising when he told her she needed to come ID her sister’s body, it was something that they had both had to do when their parents had died. Death was something that followed the Earp. Even then though,IIt didn’t make it hurt any less. 

Wynonna had dreaded telling Waverly. She had just gotten that spark back into her smile and she figured this would strip her baby sister of that once again. She had been right. Waverly hadn’t smiled since she broke the news and the sight of her at the funeral was Wynonna would never forget. She had been nothing but sobs and sad smiles, because even in a tragedy Waverly was still going to be Waverly, sweet innocent Waverly who was the best of all the Earps. 

Wynonna took another swig and placed the bottle on the headstone, tracing the letters engraved there with her fingers. 

Willa Earp. 

Like all Earps, her sister was a character. She was never the greatest sister to them, always hard and mean but Wynonna understood. The same hurt and anger that had pumped through Willa’s veins flowed through hers just the same. That’s why Waverly was so special. She didn’t revel in the darkness like they did, didn’t let the Earp name curse her like her sisters had. No Waverly would plaster a smile on her face and charm the people of Purgatory over and over again, they loved her and Wynonna couldn’t be more happy about it. She didn’t care about what everyone whispered behind her back, the snarky looks she’d receive from everyone when she went out so long as they didn’t do the same to Waverly, Wynonna didn’t care. 

Wynonna reached up to grab the bottle when her hand met the touch of another. She looked up to see a mohawked man looking back down at her with a smile. 

“It’s really a shame isn’t it?” He said, signaling to the fresh dirt that covered Willa’s cold body. “For someone so young and pretty to be gone so soon.” 

Wynonna thought the man was peculiar, she had never seen him before. She thought she knew all of Willa’s friends but maybe she didn’t. She got up from where she was sitting and stood beside him, facing the grave just the same. 

“It really is. It feels weird to be sitting here looking at her this way” Wynonna agreed. “She was my sister you know?” 

The man gave a chuckled. 

“Oh I know.”

Wynonna looked at the man quizzically, growing suspicious towards him. She wasn’t sure why, she really couldn’t explain it. The man just seemed to ooze bad vibes, but she guessed she could understand that. 

“I’m sorry, how do- did, how did you know Willa?” 

The man took a swig of Wynonna’s whiskey before swallowing it with a sigh. 

“I actually didn’t.” He said with a shake of his head. “I mean I knew of her and tried to get to know her better but she wouldn’t let me.” 

“You see, I’ve known all you Earps for a long time, years even.” He said with another sip of the warm liquid. “Your dad, he uh went to school with me way back in the day. My name is Bobo Del Ray.” He reached out his hand, extending to Wynonna. 

She eyed the man’s hand for a moment before shaking it. 

“I don’t remember daddy ever mentioning having a high school friend by the name.”

Bobo chuckled slightly as he shook his head. 

“Nah, he wouldn’t have. We weren’t exactly what you’d consider friends.” Bobo informed, making air quotes as he said the last word. 

Wynonna knitted her brow at him, confused by what his intentions were of being there but by the looks of him, Wynonna knew they couldn’t be good. 

“You see Wynonna, your daddy came to me a long, long time ago in need of.. let’s just say a favor and I was so kind as to lend a helping hand to the man.” He explained, turning to look at Wynonna before he continued. “But that’s where the problem began. After we graduated I went to collect what I was owed but your thieving father never repaid his debt to me. He only shrugged me off, said he didn’t deal with thugs like me anymore.” He laughed. “Funny how when no one needs you anymore they’ll cast you aside like you’re nothing, but you probably know all about that. You’re an Earp. .” 

“Okayyy” Wynonna drawled out questionably. “What does that have to do with Willa or me?” 

“Well your daddy died years ago but the debt of the dead doesn’t just go away, girl.” He further explained. “Instead it just sits and collects interest until someone from the family has to man up and pay it.” 

It clicked with Wynonna what the man was implying as she snatched the bottle of whiskey from his hand. 

“Really classy to come and try and collect your money from a family in mourning.” She spit. “I’m not giving you shit. Go collect your debt from someone else because I’m the wrong Earp to fuck with.” 

Bobo’s face grew more stern now, wearing a look that sent a chill down Wynonna’s spine. 

“I tried. You aren’t my first Earp Wynonna. Unfortunately I’ve been dealing with you all for a while now. I went to your parents first, gave your daddy the chance to pay but he refused. After his uh-untimely death, I went to your sister here but just the same, she refused the burden as well and now I guess that leads me to the next in line... you.” He glared at her. 

“Go to hell.” She said as she retreated from the grave side, making the man laugh behind her. 

“Okay but you know I’m just going to keep going right? I know there’s another one of you. Uhhh, Waverly is it?” He called out. 

Wynonna stopped in her tracks at the mention of her sister’s name. She felt dread course through her body at the thought of him even knowing who Waverly was. 

Bobo walked up behind Wynonna and retrieved the bottle from her frozen hands. 

“That’s right. I know all about that little sister of yours. “ he said. “So what’s it going to be? Are you going to pay for the Earp debt yourself, or am I going to have to introduce myself to babygirl here?” He continued as he pulled out a picture of Waverly and held it in front of her. 

—

“And so I’ve been working with him ever since.” Wynonna explained, picking apart the cup that Nicole had given her. “At first I refused but he-he knew so much about Waverly. He knew her name, where Gus lived, what time she arrived to and left from school, where she worked, everything. He said that if I didn’t come work for him that she’d have to. That someone had to repay the Earp debt. I had to do what I had to do keep him away from her.” She said as she stared straight ahead into the wall passed Nicole whose eyes faltered at the story. 

“I’ve wanted to kill him for so long. I’ve hated every minute I’ve had to put up with that son of a bitch but I knew that the closer he was to me, the further he would be from Waverly and that’s what mattered. Keeping her safe. It was me or her and it could never be her Nicole, never. He might have torn the rest of my family apart but there was no way he was going to get to Waverly.” She said as she tapped the top of the table with her finger. “He always mentioned wanting to come back to Purgatory, he was obsessed. I held him off for as long as I could, brought in as much revenue as I could to keep him distracted but once he finally set his sights on this town he couldn’t be convinced otherwise.” She shook her head. “I’ve long since paid the Earp debt he was supposedly owed but I couldn’t get out. He had me trapped and he knew it. He knew as long as he threatened to go after Waverly that I wouldn’t go anywhere so when he decided to come back here, I had no choice but to tag along. I couldn’t let him be this close to her without me watching over him from the inside. I just can’t believe he got to her anyway.”

Nicole sat back and took in the appearance of the raven haired woman, fist clenched with tear filled, haunted eyes.There wasn’t any doubt that Wynonna had been through some things, she wore them in her expression as she recalled her story.

Nicole’s mind fought over whether to believe Wynonna or not. Honestly she didn’t know the woman from Adam and Wynonna had shot her but as much as she didn’t trust her,Waverly’s voice was running through her head telling Nicole to trust Wynonna. It was an odd sensation, one Nicole knew was a trick of the mind but it was so clear. She could see how much Wynonna cared about Waverly as she talked about her, similar to the fire that burned through Nicole’s eyes as she thought about protecting the brunette herself. She had to listen to Waverly. She couldn’t trust Wynonna, she couldn’t trust herself but she could trust Waverly. Always Waverly. 

Nicole reached across the table and squeezed Wynonna’s hand, drawing a surprised look from the other woman. 

“We’re going to find that mother fucker” She said sternly. “And we’re going to kill him.” 

A small smirk broke across Wynonna’s face at Nicole’s words before she wiped the tears that had fallen to her cheeks. 

“Let’s see what you’ve got.” 

Nicole walked over to the investigation board as they stood back and looked over the information on it. Dolls and Nicole had pinned the location of everywhere they had already had people looking, marking them out as each came back empty handed. 

“Bobo wouldn’t take Waverly to any place that he may have been spotted at before.” Wynonna added. “He’s a fucking idiot but he’s not a stupid one. He knows this so something serious, something he’s waited for. He would have had to taken her to somewhere secluded, somewhere that no one would think to look. Come on Wynonna think” she said, more to herself than anyone else. 

Nicole watched as Wynonna closed her eyes, squinting them as she worked through the places Bobo may be at. Finally her eyes popped open and she scrambled to look through the maps Dolls and Nicole had collected of Purgatory.

“What is it? What are you thinking?” Nicole asked, moving to stand beside the woman. Wynonna didn’t answer as she frantically flipped through maps of Purgatory, throwing them behind her as she dismissed the ones she deemed useless. 

Finally Wynonna grabbed one of the maps that showed a secluded part of Purgatory, a place tucked out in the backwoods of the town between the mountains. She eyed it for a second, eyes widening as if recognizing what she was looking for. 

“Here” she exclaimed, throwing the map down and pointed her finger to the furthest corner of the paper. There sat the satellite photo outline of what seemed to be a small cabin. “It’s his grandparents place. Nothing within 30 miles of it. If he’s got Waverly, this is where she is.” 

Nicole examined the map before looking at Wynonna, searching her eyes for any signs of something that may be askew. 

Trust her baby, Waverly’s voice ringing through her mind once more. 

She looked at the map once more before grabbing her coat and throwing Wynonna’s to her who looked up expectantly at Nicole. 

“Well what are we waiting for then? Let’s go get our girl.”


	22. Chapter 22: A Rescue Mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay but there’s a lot of moving pieces to this chapter so I did a lot of rewriting until I felt good enough about it. Hopefully it shows. Writing action is hard! 
> 
> I heard you guys wanted some Wynhaught rescue mission action? Well hold on to your hats because you’re about to get a lot of it.
> 
> There’s some death here.

Waverly smiled as she watched a grinning Nicole throw her head back in laughter, dimples popping out while her hair shined in the midday sun. She was breathtaking, a beauty that Waverly could never get used to. She felt the familiar warmth of her arms as they wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. She laid her head on Nicole’s chest and breathed in the earthy scent of the redhead, Waverly’s favorite smell and one Nicole often left in the bed behind her that made Waverly never want to leave. She felt a sense of calm rush over her, the same one her happy place always provided, as she wrapped her hands into soft strands of red hair. Everything felt right, perfect even when she was with Nicole. Her Nicole.

A slam of the door startled Waverly from her daydream, bringing her attention to the front of the room.

She could still feel the bass of the music that blasted from somewhere above her coursing through the walls beneath where she lay her head. The music had started hours ago, giving Waverly conflicted feelings. The thumping bass was something she could focus on but it was also a reminder of how many people were surrounding her. She didn’t know how long it’d been since they brought her here, since Bobo had shut the door behind himself and left her to her thoughts. She had felt tired, so tired but the long haired man that stood in the door, the one she’d come to know as her worst nightmare awoke everything within her. 

She shifted against the wall as the man gazed on at her with a sinister glean of the eye. He chugged the rest of his beer before crushing the can and tossing behind him. Even from the distance he stood from her, Waverly could smell the alcohol wafting off of him, making her feel sick to her stomach. 

“Well if it isn’t my favorite girl. How are you doing baby?” Steve asked with a toothless smile as he walked towards Waverly. 

“I’m doing as great as you’d think I’d be doing, and I’m definitely not your baby.” Waverly retorted as she brought her knees up to her chest. 

“Ahh come on, don’t be like that baby.” He smirked. “They’ve got you all cooped up in this room, why don’t you let Steve help you out?” 

Waverly rolled her eyes at the guy referring to himself in the third person. 

“No thank you. I’m fine.” She said smugly as the man knelt beside her. 

Waverly watched as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife, popping it open and waving it at Waverly tauntingly. 

“No?” He asked quizzically before he cut the strap of Waverly’s shirt loose with the blade. “Well why don’t you just help me then?”

The action made Waverly jump, panic creeping in as a shiver ran through her body at her now exposed shoulder

“I-Idon’t have anything that can help you.” She stammered. 

“Oh no baby.” He chuckled as he began to run a calloused hand up Waverly’s thigh. “You’ve got exactly what I ne-“ 

The man stopped as he lifted his head, turning his ear towards whatever had drawn his attention away from what he was doing. 

Waverly sat frozen, focused on the the unwanted touch of the man before her until the same sound caught her attention as well. They both sat quietly as they tried to register what they were hearing. 

Gunshots.

Waverly heard the familiar blast of a shotgun before it was followed by another. 

“What the he-?” Steve asked before the door to the basement swung open once more. 

——-

“And this is as close as I can get you guys?” Dolls asked apprehensively. 

“Yep.” Wynonna said as she loaded bullets into her extra clip. “This is the closest road that leads to the back of the cabin.”

“And how far is it from here?” Nicole asked, tightening the straps of the vest she was wearing over her clothes. 

“Mmm probably about a three mile hike.” 

Wynonna had informed them that there were three entrances into the cabin. A front, a side. and a basement entrance that sat at the back of the house. They all agreed that if Waverly was in the house, she was in the basement and they wanted to try to get in and out of the cabin without being detected so getting as close to the back of the house as they could in car and walking the rest on foot was the best course of action. 

Nicole turned to Dolls who was nervously picking at his fingers, worry etched into his features. The man desperately wanted to come help and at first had refused to do anything but that, however Wynonna knew the woods and knew the house better than any of them so it only made sense for Dolls to drive and for Nicole and Wynonna to retrieve Waverly. 

“Okay so here’s the plan, Wynonna and I are going to sneak onto the property and enter the house through the basement door at the back. Hopefully Waverly will be in there as Wynonna said and we can get her and slip out without any issues. It should take no more than an hour.” Nicole instructed. “Dolls if Waverly makes it back to the vehicle, whether Wynonna and I are here or not, give us ten minutes and then get her out of here alright?” 

“Haught I’m not going to-“ Dolls tried. 

“Dolls, ten minutes and you get her the fuck out of here.” Nicole repeated more sternly this time. This wasn’t something she was going to argue about. She and Wynonna had both agreed that getting Waverly as far away from the Banditos and these woods as they could was the most important thing. They could figure out the rest as needed. 

She turned to look at Wynonna who was trying to figure out how to tighten her bulletproof vest before she reached over and pulled the strap for her causing Wynonna to look up. 

“You ready?” Nicole asked. 

“Let’s do this shit.” Wynonna quipped, face determined and focused as she cocked her gun. 

Nicole nodded before she slung her shotgun around her body and reached for the door handle. 

The pair climbed out the car and quietly shut the doors behind them before they walked towards the woods.

As they entered the darkened forest, Nicole blinked a few times, forcing her eyes to the focus in the darkness that surrounded them. Nicole didn’t particularly like the woods at night. She wouldn’t say she was frightened of them but they always have her an uneasy feeling, made her feel vulnerable. The forest at night was a place that swallowed people whole, an unforgiving place full of things that could see you but you were blind to see. A place of quiet, a quiet so still that when broken could send chills down your spine. A place that controlled your every move, made you play it’s game. 

Tall pines surrounded them on every angle, stretching to heights far beyond anything they could see; branches stretching out and hugging one another, blocking out the full moon except for the few slivers of illumination that slipped through the cracks and danced in shadows along the forest floor. 

No, Nicole didn’t particularly like the woods at night and these woods, the weight they carried,  
were even more haunting than normal. 

The pair walked for what seemed like hours. Both fumbling over roots and branches that sat beneath their feet. Nicole had wanted to use flashlights but Wynonna quickly changed that idea when she warned that a even a speck of light coming through the forest could be spotted from the house above so they went in blind. Wynonna led them the best she could, the familiarity of the place pulling her towards their destination. 

Eventually Nicole could make out the vague thumping of bass as it traveled through the darkened forest floor and into the soles of her shoes, signaling that they had to be close. 

As they walked she could see a dark line begin to appear through the woods, the concrete fence that surrounded the property making itself more clear as they creeped closer to it. 

Nicole laid her hand against the cold concrete of the last thing separating them from the lack of mercy on the other side before she crouched down beside Wynonna. 

Wynonna eyed her and pointed up passed the fence towards the top of the hill. Nicole’s eyes focused as she took in the cabin Wynonna had spoken of. 

It was much bigger than either the satellite photo or Wynonna had led her to believe, sitting with two stories, a wooden porch wrapping around both levels and tall windows that poured light out into the woods around them. 

In the light Nicole could see the shadows of the ones inside. She couldn’t be sure about the exact number but she knew Wynonna and herself were definitely outnumbered. 

She felt a tap on her shoulder before she turned and looked to the woman beside her. Wynonna pointed towards the other side of the fence before she crawled along the length of it, Nicole doing the same as they carefully stayed in the shadows of safety the wall had provided them. 

The pair crouched and walked around the edges of the fence line, stopping when they noticed the two figures standing at the edge of the house smoking. 

Nicole strained her eyes to try and make out a face on either man, picking up on their voices as the hushed sounds traveled through the quiet night air. 

“Did you see that Earp bitch when they brought her in?” He said as she rocked back on his heels. “Whewww that is one fine piece of ass dude.”

Nicole felt her heart jump into her throat as it beat into her ears, nearly drowning out the voices that spoke of what she was looking for. 

Waverly. 

“Yeah I seen her.” The other man agreed, taking a puff of his cigarette. “What I wouldn’t give to have a piece of that.” He laughed.

She reached and pulled the shotgun from around her body, gripping it with steel strength and sweaty palms as she listened to the men talking about Waverly. Her pulse rate was skyrocketing as she made an instinctive move towards the figures, only stopping when Wynonna’s hand pulled back on her vest. 

“Shiiiit you ain’t got to give anything, just go get you some.” He retorted. 

“What do you mean? Man Bobo would kill us. He said to leave her alone until he got back” The other man said. 

Rage coursed through her veins as she began to lose control of any semblance of rationality left in her body. She knew that sticking to the plan and getting in and out was the safest way for all three of them but her brain had a hard time focusing on anything outside of getting to Waverly as soon as possible. She didn’t know what they had been doing to Waverly, what they were currently doing to her and the darkness that worked to consume her was only fueled on further at the possibilities. 

“Bobo ain’t here dude. We can do whatever we want.” He exclaimed with a chuckle. “Plus I seen Steve going down there when we were headed out this way.” 

Steve. 

Nicole turned and offered Wynonna a look of unspoken apology at what she knew she was about to do as the name bouncing through her made her lose her last bit of rationality. 

Nicole felt herself moving, pulling from Wynonna’s grip and emerging from the shadows as she stalked towards the men. She pulled her shotgun up to her shoulder and pointed it at her targets,  
firing off two shots in succession and dropping their bodies to the ground. 

As she registered the bass in the house shutting off Nicole felt her adrenaline start to course through her body faster, the time clock they now faced spurring on the demon that currently controlled her actions. She would get to Waverly in whatever means necessary. She felt Wynonna catch up to her as she reached the basement door and slung it open. 

“What the he” Steve tried to say before Nicole brought the butt of her gun down onto his nose, knocking him unconscious in the process. Her frantic eyes searched for Waverly until they fell upon the batter and chained brunette in the corner. She felt her heart clench at the sight, Waverly avoiding eye contact as embarrassment swept over her features. She looked over Waverly’s body for any signs of drastic injury before she honed in on the ripped blouse. She felt her teeth clench and nostrils flare as she looked between a frightened Waverly and the grimy man that lay on the floor, rushes of anger flowing through her as she made sense of the sight. 

“You fucking bastard.” She screamed through gritted teeth before jumping on top of him. She brought her fist down and connected it to his nose, feeling a sense of sick satisfaction at the crunch she felt beneath her hand. She brought her fist up and landed another before she wrapped her hands around his neck, squeezing as hard as she could as the man came back to consciousness. She could feel him clawing at her arms as he turned blue beneath her but it only made her more determined, drew her further into the darkness that yearned to feel the man take his last breath beneath her hands. She was so close she could taste it, her mouth watering at the prospect of it. 

Nicole could hear Waverly’s voice in her head, or maybe Waverly’s actual voice, telling her to stop as she adjusted her grip more firmly, making the man choke out between her hands and her chest bloom with anticipation. 

“Nicole!” Waverly shouted, finally breaking the laser focus she had had on the man since she walked in. She glanced over at Waverly, sunken eyes full of concern before she looked back down at the seemingly unconscious man below her, scampering back away from him and crawling over to Waverly as she tried to free her from the chains that held her bolted to the floor. 

She could feel Waverly watching her as she pulled on the chains that sat wrapped around her wrist, afraid of the guilt she may feel at what Waverly had just seen if she looked up at her. 

Nicole examined the lock, working fast against the clock they were racing as she looked for a way to break it before finally standing up and bringing her foot down onto the pipe, kicking it until it finally broke free and sprayed water onto the floor beneath them. She quickly scooped Waverly up in one swift motion before walking them towards the door. 

“I’m going to get my hands on you eventually bitch, and I’m going to make you watch while I fuck her. ” Steve coughed out behind them. 

Nicole stopped in her tracks as she listened to the threat, the man’s words swimming through her mind and toying with her demon that was residing there. She stood Waverly up beside Wynonna before she looked at the older Earp. 

“Go, get her out of here.” Nicole instructed. “Wait for me by the fenceline. I’ll be there in 60 seconds.”

Wynonna gave a curt nod before she drug a confused Waverly out the door, Nicole watching as the two bounded across the house grounds before turning and smiling at Steve, feeling her demon basking in acceptance and the fury the man provoked as she watched him. 

Nicole walked over to him and drug him over to the pipe that still sat attached to the wall before she pulled out her cuffs, placing one end around his wrist and the other end around the pipe which essentially pinned him to the wall with his arms above his head. 

She watched him squirm as he cursed her and tried to break free, a dark chuckle breaking out from between her hard set lips at the sight. As much as she tried to fight her darkness she couldn’t deny how much she loved letting it consume her in the moment. She walked over and grabbed the man’s knife from where it lay on the ground before she walked back over and knelt down beside him

Nicole waved the knife in his face as she grinned at him, tracing the outline of his neck before plunging the it deep into the side. 

She stood up and looked over the man, grinning as she watched his eyes widen and mouth fill with blood indicating she landed it right where she was aiming. She gripped the handle and yanked it back out, blood sputtering around her hand as she watched the man bleed about before her, gaze only breaking as voices grew louder around her. 

Nicole peeked around outside the room as she watched two men work their way around the corner. She lay flat against the wall before taking a deep breath and stepping out from behind it. 

Nicole watched the men move to grab their pistols before she blasted a shot into each of them. She looked around the yard before she spotted Wynonna waving at her from behind the fence on the other side, running towards them as another man stepped from behind the corner of the house. She felt a bullet whiz by her head as she ducked in cover behind a tree before stepping back out and firing off a shot into her pursuer. 

She watched Wynonna stand and aim her pistol towards the group of men that had now gathered at the back of the house, running towards the fence when she realized she had cover. 

She heard the men shouting at one another, trying to figure out what was going on as she reached the fence and crouched behind it beside Waverly, feeling the familiar warmth of her fingers as she intertwined her fingers with Nicole’s. 

Nicole peeked back around the corner and noticed the men now frantically running back into the house, shoving one another as they tried to reach their guns. She had bought them a little time but she knew they needed to move. 

Wynonna turned and looked at her before nodding and running back into the darkness of the woods from which they’d came. Nicole handed Waverly the shotgun she was holding before pulling the pistol from her side and pushing the smaller woman to follow Wynonna 

“There they are.” Nicole heard someone shout from above as the men finally caught up to what had just happened at the house, hearing their gallops as they began to run after them. 

Nicole knew they had the jump on them but she also knew the men had the advantage of familiarity. Wynonna could lead them through the darkness of the forest but the men they most feared in the moment lived there. 

Nicole trailed closely behind Waverly, willing her to run faster as gunshots began to echo around them from every side. The men were gaining on the trio fast and Nicole could feel it. 

A dark shadow caught her eye as she looked over to see a Bandito running with them stride for stride. He reached to pick up his gun before a shot rang off from ahead of her, dropping the man to the ground as she looked to see where the bullet came from.

Wynonna. 

The trio froze, holding their breath as the gunshots ceased from around them. 

“Come out, Come out wherever you are.” A voice echoed from behind them. 

“Marco” someone called from the left side. 

“Polo” ringing out from the right in response. 

“We’ve got them now boys.” A man shouted from the front. 

Nicole strained to focus her eyes into the dark around her, pulling Waverly closer to her as she tried to attach a silhouette to any of the voices that called out from around them. 

The voices continued to shout and Nicole knew they were distant, closing in fast but far enough away that she knew they couldn’t see the three of them either. 

Nicole looked up and caught the hesitant eye of Wynonna, trying to signal her to move before stopping as Wynonna twirled her finger in a circle. 

Nicole felt panic creep into her chest as the realization of what that meant dawned on her. 

They were surrounded. 

No matter which way Wynonna chose to run, they would find Bobo’s men at the other end. She froze, scoring her brain for a plan of action, for anything that may get them out of this situation alive when she felt a gentle squeeze on her hand. 

Nicole looked down at Waverly and met her gaze for the first time. Her usually bright eyes full of fear but still offering a glimmer of hope that made Nicole’s chest swell. Even in the most unfortunate of situations, Waverly was still Waverly. 

Nicole didn’t care what it took, she was getting Waverly out of those woods by whatever means necessary, even if the brunette might hate her for it.

Anything for Waverly. 

“Which way to the truck?” Nicole whispered quietly, nodding at Wynonna as she pointed downhill towards the left in response. 

Nicole looked around her as she formulated a plan in her head before looking back over at the eldest Earp and placing Waverly’s hand that held hers into Wynonna’s. 

“You need to get her out of he-“ She started to say before Waverly cut her off. 

“No,no,no,no” she argued, voice trembling as Nicole covered her mouth with her hand. 

“Shhh” Nicole quieted her, giving her a sympathetic look as Waverly realized what Nicole planned to do. 

“Waverly we will never make it.” Nicole explained as Waverly tried to argue, shaking her head beneath Nicole’s hand and looking at her with pleading eyes. 

Nicole knew Waverly didn’t want her to do what she was about to do, the look she was giving her speaking volumes on how she felt about it. 

“Listen, listen” she pleaded in desperation as she nodded her head at Waverly. “I’ve got to baby. It’s the only way.”

Nicole watched as tears pricked into the brunette’s eyes as she continued to explain. 

“You’re going to go with Wynonna” Nicole nodded her head as Waverly shook hers in argument. “Yes Waverly” grip tightening around Waverly’s mouth as the brunette grew more panicked beneath her. “Yes. You’ve got to okay? You’re going to follow Wynonna and you’re going to run as fast as you can.” 

Nicole’s could feel her heart breaking as pleading brown eyes looked back at her, tears streaming down Waverly’s face as she spoke. 

“I’m going to be fine baby. I’ll be right behind you. I said I’d always make it back to you so you’ve got to trust me.” Nicole reasoned, closing her eyes before the look on Waverly’s face made her change her mind. 

“Do you trust me?” She asked. 

Nicole felt Waverly relax for a moment beneath her grip before she nodded her head slightly. Nicole stared at Waverly, forcing her eyes to say everything she couldn’t in that moment before she let her go. 

Waverly immediately pulled Nicole into a searing kiss as Nicole kissed her back, pouring everything she had into just in case. 

Nicole pulled Waverly tightly against her, planting a kiss to her forehead before she nodded in finality and dropped her hand. She watched Waverly as she slowly stepped back away from them, turning as she ran in the opposite direction, shouting as her feet worked furiously beneath her. 

“Here I am fuckers, come and get me!” 

—-

Wynonna stood still as she heard the men’s footsteps chase after the screaming redhead that was running in the opposite direction of the car before she grabbed Waverly’s hand and started running towards the road. 

Her lungs burned as she pushed herself through the forest with Waverly in tow, stumbling over limbs and running into branches but never letting up until she saw the familiar outline of the SUV. 

She slung open the door and climbed in before pulling Waverly in behind her and closing the door. 

“Where’s Haught?” Dolls yelled. 

Wynonna’s chest heaved as she tried to catch her breath, shaking her head at Dolls who clenched his jaw at her response. 

“Fuck” he exclaimed as he slammed his fist against the steering wheel. “Come on Haught” He said, starting the stopwatch on his phone. 

Wynonna zoned out and listened to the distant sounds of gunshots in the forest as she watched the seconds on the clock tick down, jolting when Dolls slapped the dashboard. 

“Fuck” he panicked as he looked outside expectantly. “Three minutes. Where the hell are you Nicole?”

Wynonna watched as Waverly turned and looked at Dolls confusingly. 

“Three minutes for what?” She asked. 

The pair stared at Waverly, offering her a sympathetic smile before Wynonna reached over and grabbed her hand. 

“Nicole wants to get you out of here baby girl.” Wynonna explained. 

She watched as Waverly’s eyes worked between the both of them and the ticking clock before she looked back up at Wynonna, watery eyes filled with anger. 

“No, no Wynonna. Dolls, no.” She said determinedly. “No we're not going to leave her. We can’t just fucking leave her out here.” 

Waverly tried to climb out of the car before Wynonna reached over and wrapped her around the chest, pulling against her and pinning her down as the smaller girl fought to get loose. 

“Let me go Wynonna.” She spit. “I don’t care what she said. We have to go get her.” 

Wynonna wasn’t even sure what to say, cat catching her tongue as she gripped Waverly harder. 

“We can't just leave her out there. She doesn’t even like the woods. We have to go.” Her eyes widening as the clock ticked down to 60 seconds and panic settled into the air. 

“Come on Haught” Dolls spoke from the front, nerves laced in his voice “Don’t make me do this. Come on.”

Wynonna felt Waverly shake beneath her hold as her eyes flickered between the clock and the window. 

“Come on baby” Waverly called out, voice desperate like it would will Nicole out of the woods. “Come on Baby. Come on. You’ve got this.” 

“30 seconds.” Dolls called out. 

Wynonna could feel the anxiety in the car pick up as Waverly pulled her against the window with her. 

“Come on Nicole.” She pleaded, tears streaming down her face once more. “You said you’d make it back to me so come on goddammit.You come out of those woods right now.” 

Wynonna felt tears fill her eyes as she watched her sister lose control, beating against the window as she demanded the redhead to surface from the forest.

“She’s not going to make it. Sh-she doesn’t know the woods. She doesn’t know her way back to the car.” Waverly rushed out in a panic. “Fucking come on Nicole. Don’t do this shit to me baby. Come on.”

Wynonna glanced down at the clock as it clicked underneath 15 seconds before looking out the window once more and making up her mind. Waverly was right, Nicole would never make it alone out there. 

She grabbed the shotgun from the floor board, catching Waverly’s attention as she did. 

“Wh-What are you doing?” She asked. 

Wynonna paused for a second, looking over at Waverly apologetically before turning to Dolls. 

“Go” she instructed before she opened her door and jumped out of the car, slamming the door behind her as Dolls stepped on the gas and pulled the car away from her. 

Wynonna let the dust settle around her before she took in the daunting woods in front of her and pumped the shotgun. 

“Hang on Haught, I’m coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully I’ll catch you guys tomorrow.


	23. Chapter 23: A Hunting.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is literally all Nicole and it was also very difficult to write. I think I broke my brain with it.

“Here I am fuckers, come and get me!” 

Nicole shouted as she took a final glance back at Waverly before turning and running away from the the two Earp sisters, adrenaline pumping her feet to move faster as she continued to shout out into the night sky to draw attention to herself. 

She fought through the darkness as she crashed into the thick brush of the woods, limbs scraping and crawling at her skin as the sound of barreling footsteps spurred her on without regard. 

Nicole’s chest burned and her legs begged for her to stop as they pushed her further up the hill but that wasn’t an option. She wanted nothing more than to turn and run back to the safe haven that was the vehicle but she knew she couldn’t risk the chance of leading the remaining Banditos back to where Waverly wait for her so she pushed herself, willed her feet to move her and her pursuants farther away from where she wanted to go most. 

Nicole maneuvered around trees, dodging bullets as they flew passed her until she felt the restraint the forest brush held on her dissipate. She ran more freely now, the slope evening beneath her feet as the night sky opened and the moon illuminated the new landscape she was now running through. 

Nicole ran through the tall grass of the meadow as the men behind her broke the edge of the woods, looking around and cursing as she noticed the lack of cover she now had before doing the only thing she could do, dropping to lay flat on her stomach in the tall grass. 

Nicole could feel her chest heaving frantically as her lungs worked vigorously to provide her body with the oxygen it demanded. She watched the men appear from the other end of the meadow, covering her own mouth to try and mask the heavy breathing she couldn’t seem to control as she squeezed her eyes tightly closed and focused on getting her racing heartbeat to slow down. The last thing she needed was for her body to betray her. 

Nicole watched with nervous eyes as the figures of three men scoped out the meadow, guns drawn to their shoulders as they looked around for her. She knew the meadow wasn’t much cover but she hoped the tall grass darkened the ground enough that they couldn’t see her as she lay waiting. 

The men moved closer, Nicole holding her breath as one of the men placed a foot right by her head and paused his movements. 

She wide eyed him, intense panic rising in her chest as she knew she’d be caught before she watched him continue to move passed her without noticing she was there. 

The men walked right passed Nicole without ever looking down. None of them could see her in the darkened grass of the meadow. 

She exhaled a quiet breath of relief, realizing she escaped what she thought was a death trap as the last man moved towards the other two that stood waiting at the other end of the meadow. 

“Fuck!” A voice yelled. “Where the fuck did she go?”

“I don’t hear her either.” Someone answered. “We need to fan out, search in different directions until one of us finds the bitch. If you do, bring her back to the house. Bobo’s gonna want a piece of this.” 

Nicole leaned up and watched as the men spread in different directions, two going into the woods and one walking back through the meadow towards her. She dropped back down to lay await in the grass as she listened for him move through the brush around her, pulling Steve’s knife from her pocket when she knew he was getting close. 

Nicole waited for the man to pass back by her head before hopping up and covering his mouth with her hand. Playing off the lack of awareness the man had from being caught off guard, Nicole easily pulled his unexpectant body back to hers before she landed the knife in the front of his throat. She tightened her hold around his mouth as she felt him try to scream out, muffling any noise that threatened to escape and holding them there until she felt his grip on her arm relax and his body go limp. 

Nicole eased the man’s body back down to the ground, careful not to make any noise before looking around for any signs of the other two guys but seeing none. Once in the clear, she took off through the meadow towards the safety of the woods. 

Nicole crept through the woods, walking lightly as she stumbled around in the darkness and tripped over tree roots. She had managed to calm her breathing and her heartbeat as much as possible but her body still shook, from the cold or her nerves, Nicole wasn’t sure, the jittering reminded her she was still alive, one step closer to getting back to Waverly. 

She walked through the woods for hours, calming only when the first signs of dawn began to paint the skyline and offer her a sense of direction. Nicole had long since left the meadow and hopefully the men behind her but she had no idea where she was as she took in her forested surroundings. She knew she had run in the opposite direction of the road but after the twist and turns that were made while dodging and ducking bullets she didn’t have the slightest idea of where she may be at and as dangerous as the men were, they were no match for the miles of forest and the thousands of directions it offered to her. 

She was out of her element in the terrain she faced but she knew walking down the slope was easier than climbing up it so she walked and walked, pushing herself further as she let her feet drag her through thick brush and briars that scrapped and clawed at her legs and threatened to bring her down to the forest floor. The air was crisp, something Nicole could have taken solace in if she were in a different situation. The sun coaxing her body in a warmth that almost made her forget she was on much more than a casual hike. 

The sound of water perked Nicole’s ears up and made her mouth dry. She was thirsty, her body desperate for water, for anything, that may provide it with more energy to keep going. She listened carefully until she could pinpoint where it was coming from before changing directions and heading towards thespund, smiling when she noticed the tree line breaking up ahead. 

As she got closer the brush grew thicker and the sound of the river became a roar around her, willing her feet to move faster towards what it desperately needed until she was running and breaking through the remaining restraints of the forest, stumbling backwards when she reached the river's edge. 

Nicole’s eyes widened and her stomach dropped at the sight. The roaring river she thought she’d be able to run right into was more like 20 feet down the side of the mountain, gushing and splashing with white foamed waves that collided with one another. The sound of the river was deafening, blocking out the pounding beat of Nicole’s racing heart as she looked over the edge into the rapids below. The river stretched around the mountain for miles, as far as Nicole’s eyes could see with no indication of an end. 

She examined the cliff side, accessing it and the decisions it provoked while she fought her body’s dehydrated urges to just fling herself into the water. She observed a small ledge a few feet down that would allow her enough room to stand and reach down into the water before making her way over to it, deciding that option was her best shot. 

Nicole had climbed before, in fact she had climbed much steeper cliffs than what she was faced with. She just hadn’t climbed them free handed while her muscles and tendons screamed at her but she knew she didn’t have a choice, her body could only go on a little longer without some sort of replenishment. 

Nicole peeked over the cliffside towards the ledge once more, deciphering her path before turning her body and easing her foot down onto the first small jute out. She placed her weight onto the foot, testing the integrity of the placehold before lowering her other leg onto the side of the cliff. Nicole paused, her upper body still on solid earth as her lower body sat on the cliff side, before taking a deep breath and moving herself completely below the safety of Earth’s flat surface. 

Nicole sat attached to the cliffside with eyes squinted shut as she let the soreness of her muscles settle before she looked down and began to move. Her hands shook terribly as she gripped the side of the mountain with white knuckle strength, every muscle in her body clinched with tension she was afraid to let go of, tension that held Nicole between safety and certain death. She gritted her teeth and pushed her body through the exhaustion that threatened to consume it as she slowly and carefully worked her way down the rocky surface, looking down and grinning as she realized how close she was to her targeted ledge, a small burst of adrenaline working through her at the sight. 

Nicole gripped a lower area with her hand before moving her foot downward, skimming the surface of the ledge with her toes when she felt the tension break above her. Her body fell backwards onto the ledge and bounced off, Nicole desperately clawing at anything she could grab onto to stop her downward momentum before she felt weightless, free failing while the ledge seemingly floated away from her. 

Nicole felt her body hit the water with a thud, almost like smacking concrete, before she sunk down into its ice cold embrace. She pushed to the surface of the water, breaking through and taking a deep breath before being swallowed whole again as the water pulled her back under. 

Nicole knew she was moving, body being pushed and pulled like a rag doll in whatever direction the river desired but she couldn’t register much else. The waves crashed into her, dunking her head and filling her lungs with water as they threw her into the rocks of the river’s floor. She fought to the surface, keeping her head above the water momentarily as she took in the blur of the fast passing landscape around her. She tried to swim, to move in a direction of her own but the water was too strong as it drug her body downstream and underwater at will. The only thing Nicole could do was hold on. 

She felt the pressure of the coursing water around her ease up a little as it pulled her under again, the redhead fighting to climb back to the surface as her upper half bounced off a bedded rock and fuzzed her brain, leaving her body limp and her vision darkened as she fell prisoner to the river’s hold. 

—-

Nicole’s eyes blinked open to the morning light shining through the blinds, warming the air around her as her body lie contently under the mounds of blankets on the bed. She stretched her arms, shaking off the stiffness of sleep before her hand landed in soft hair. She turned over and smiled as she took in the sight before her, brown hair fanned out on pillows and soft tan skin being kissed by the dawn of sun that made Nicole relax into the bed further. 

Waverly. 

Nicole watched as the brunette’s’ chest rose and fell slowly, deep breaths indicating she was still sleeping, before she reached over and ran her hand under the path of her spine, feeling the soft warm skin of her girlfriend beneath her fingers. Nicole scooted over closer to the brunette and laid her head down on her back, placing soft kisses to her inviting skin as she listened to the other woman’s heart beat. 

Nicole felt Waverly stir underneath her as she traced her sides with her hands before pushing back brunette hair and placing a kiss on the back of her neck. 

“Mmm that feels good.” Waverly said in a sleepy voice, one that made Nicole melt into her more. 

“Good morning baby.” She whispered in her ear. 

Nicole sat up slightly so Waverly could turn beneath her until she laying on her back, gazing up at her with soft brown eyes. 

“Good morning” Waverly whispered back, eyes crinkling in the corners with the bright smile that broke across her face, Nicole’s heart swelling in response. 

Nicole buried her face into Waverly’s neck, breathing in her intoxicating scent as she felt the brunette wrap her hands into her hair. Nicole ran her nose up and down, nuzzling the skin it sat against as Waverly sighed contently above her. She could stay here forever, wrapped up in Waverly’s embrace as she was. 

“I love you so much.” Nicole hummed against her neck, practically feeling Waverly’s smile grow on her face at the words. 

“I love you too baby” Waverly retorted. “That’s why you’ve got to her back to me.” 

The words made Nicole sit up and look down at Waverly quizzically, confused at what the brunette meant. 

“I’m right here baby.” Nicole assured her as she caressed Waverly’s cheeks with her thumb. 

“No, you’ve got to get up and come back to me.” Waverly said, smile faltering. 

Nicole grabbed the side of Waverly’s face with her hand, staring at her as the brunette’s eyes filled with tears. 

“Waverly I’m here. I’m right here baby, what are you talking about?” 

Waverly started to shake her head, panic filling her features as she looked back up at Nicole. 

“No, no Nicole.” Waverly said, voice growing louder as she pushed against her chest. “You’re not here. You’ve got to get up.” 

“Wave-“ Nicole tried before Waverly cut her off, pushing against Nicole’s chest as she shouted. 

“Get up Nicole! Get up!” Waverly screamed, body shaking as tears poured down her cheeks. “Get up!” 

——

Nicole jolted awake with a hard cough, water spewing from her mouth and relieving the pressure that sat on her chest as she coughed up the water that remained in her lungs before falling back against the moist dirt below her as her, chest heaving as it worked desperately to provide her lungs with air. 

Nicole lay still, body pulsating at even the tiniest of movements. She could feel the shocks of pain in her chest as she breathed, not sure what was broken but registering that something definitely was. She forced herself to roll over on her side, groaning against the protest of her body before rolling onto her stomach and collapsing. 

Exhaustion swept over her as she let herself relax into the dirt, reveling in the earthy smell that filled her senses. She was so tired body aching and spent, refusing to move anymore, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t sure if she even wanted to move anymore, laying still felt so inviting, so right that she closed her eyes and let the darkness start to take her. 

You’ve got to get up and come back to me. 

Waverly’s voice rang through her ears as Nicole peeked open one eye. Waverly was right. She had to get up, to keep fighting. She promised Waverly she would come back and Nicole didn’t plan on being another heartbreak for the brunette. 

Nicole inhaled a deep breath and pushed herself up on weak arms, tears forming in her eyes at the pain she felt from the simple movement. She gritted her teeth and grunted, forcing her legs to bend until she was sitting on all fours. She crawled until she sat against a tree, pausing to catch her breath before clawing at the tree and hoisting herself up against it, closing her eyes to wait for her head to stop spinning. 

Nicole inhaled deeply, pain running down the length of her side as she did, before she nodded her head and forced her legs to move down the bank of the river. 

She slowly dragged her feet forward, gripping her side in agony as she walked in a daze down the mountain, letting the flowing water lead her direction. 

Nicole wasn’t sure how long she’d been walking when she finally stumbled upon a road, turning from the river and walking down the dirt path with determination, hoping it would lead her to somewhere, anywhere that wasn’t wooded. Anywhere that was closer to Waverly. 

Nicole continued to walk on limp legs until movement in the woods stopped her abruptly. 

“Well look what we have here.” The man's voice carried, making panic seep into Nicole’s bones as he stepped out into the road in front of her. She turned to run when she another man appeared out of the woods behind her. 

“Where ya going girly?” The man said, grinning as he moved closer to to her. 

Nicole turned and watched the other man walk towards her, pinning her between their bodies as she tried to formulate a plan of escape on her head. She was caught, corned on every side. She couldn’t run even if her body would allow her to. 

One of the men swung, Nicole dodging it barely before reaching up and pulling his arm, side stepping causing him to run into the other man, making them both stumble for a moment as she reached into her pocket and pulled out Steve’s knife. She flicked it open and brought it down across the man’s body at his lunged at her, cutting his chest before digging it into his side. The man collapsed with a groan as his partner charged at Nicole, tackling her to the ground before climbing on top of her. She screamed in agony as she sat on her chest and wrapped his hands around her throat, baring down his weight onto his hands as he squeezed. Nicole could feel the pressure on her neck cutting off her airway as she frantically searched for anything that could help her. She felt the hard gravely surface of a rock beneath her hand before she pried it free and brought it across the side of the man’s skull. It connected with a crush as the man rolled off Nicole onto the ground, the redhead quickly sitting up and bringing the rock down onto the man’s head feeling manic as bones crushed beneath her only stopping when a gunshot rung out above her. 

Nicole looked up to see the other man standing ahead of her, knife jutted out from his side as he pointed a gun at her. 

“Drop the fucking rock.” He instructed, waving the gun at Nicole as she reluctantly did what he said before raising her arms in surrender. 

“I’ve chased you through the fucking woods for hours.” He huffed out, agitation clear in his tone. “You stabbed me, killed a whole lot of my men.” He chuckled. “I got to hand it to you bitch, you are feisty as hell.”

Nicole’s eyes hardened and her jaw clenched as she listened to the man ramble, panting as dread filled her body from the gun barrel she was staring down. 

“And as much fun as this has been” He said as he cocked the gun. “I’m fucking tired.”

Nicole watched as the man moved his finger to the trigger before squeezing her eyes shut, accepting her fate as final images of Waverly played out in her head. She heard the gunshot and prepared for the pain, for the darkness that never came before opening her eyes and looking at the man’s lifeless body in shock, mouth agape as she looked around for what happened before spotting her. 

Wynonna, shotgun in hands as she stood in the middle of the road in front of her. 

Nicole collapsed against the road, grin on her face at the ironic feeling of relief that the raven haired woman brought to her in the moment. For weeks it had been dread and anger at sight of her but as she watched Wynonna walk towards her, she was flooded with happiness. She wasn’t sure where the woman had came from or how she had managed to find them but she didn’t care. She never imagined herself being as happy as she was to see her smug face. 

“Damn Red.” She said kneeling down beside Nicole. “You’ve been through it huh?”

Nicole shook her head and chuckled, grimacing at the pain the motion caused as she lay against the ground trying to gather her bearings. 

Wynonna reached out and offered a hand to Nicole before she took it and let the woman pull her up and place her arm over her shoulder. 

“How mad is Waverly?” Nicole asked, making Wynonna smile and chuckle as she started to walk down the path, dragging Nicole along with her. 

“Oh she’s super pissed.” Wynonna said. “But let’s get you home so you can fix it, yeah?”


	24. Chapter 24: A saving

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This took so long to write.

“Where the hell are they Dolls?” Waverly stalked back and forth in front of the detective, eying him harshly when more cops retreated from the woods shaking their heads. 

“We’ve got every cop in the area looking for them” Dolls defend, taking a small step back and throwing up his hands in surrender when Waverly turned his way. “Look all I’m saying is that they are out there somewhere, don’t worry.” 

Waverly hardened her eyes, narrowing them at the audacity of the other man before walking his way with her hands on her hips. 

“Don’t worry?” She ask incredulously. “Don’t worry Dolls? I wouldn’t be worried if you wouldn’t have trapped me in the car and drove off”

Waverly was now standing toe to toe with the man, eyes focused on him squarely as he squirmed under her fiery gaze. She only came up to his chest, but she felt a lot bigger in this situation. 

“L-look” He stammered, banding away a few more feet. “I didn’t want to leave as much as you didn’t want to but Hau-“ 

Waverly cut him off, placing a finger on his chest as she corned him against his car. 

“Detective Haught is an idiot” Waverly spit, attitude faltering at her words as Dolls looked at her expectantly. “Okay she’s not an idiot.” She relented, breathing out as placed her hand over her eyes trying to fight back the tears she’d been holding in all day. “I’m just worried about them. It’s been two whole days.” 

Dolls took the other woman in his arms and gave her a squeeze, rubbing his hand up and down her back to help her calm down. Waverly appreciated the man, as mad as she had been at him for driving her away from Wynonna and Nicole she knew he didn’t really have a choice and he hadn’t stopped looking for them along side Waverly since they’d arrived back in Purgatory. 

“It’s okay Earp.” He assured her. “We’re going to find them alright?” 

Waverly wiped her eyes, collecting herself before she nodded at Dolls and turned towards the woods to observe more officers entering the brush. 

“Where are you?” 

—-

“Ow, fuck!” Nicole exclaimed, grabbing her ribs  
as Wynonna flopped her down onto the ground against a log a bit too harshly. 

“Sorry Red” Wynonna winced before standing back up and brushing off her jacket. 

Nicole took shallow breaths, collecting herself before looking back up to Wynonna who was collecting sticks in the remaining dusk light. 

“What are we even doing?” She asked. “Don’t we need to keep moving?”

“Welllll” Wynonna said in a singsong voice as she knelt down and stacked the sticks in a pile. “Since I’ve been mostly dragging your semi unconscious body the past hour, I think it’s best if we rest and resume our adventure tomorrow.”

“You haven’t been dragging me.” Nicole retorted, eyes sharp as she felt her pride get the better of her. “I can walk just fine. We could have kept going.” 

This made Wynonna pause what she was doing and look up at Nicole with an amused smirk. 

“Ok let’s see it then.” She quipped as she motioned to Nicole who wore a confused look. “Get up.”

Nicole’s eyes narrowed, a determination setting in her at the other woman’s challenge. Never one to back down, Nicole turned her body and attempted to push herself up against the log before wobbly arms dropped her against it with a thud causing her to yelp in pain as her already sore ribs came in contact with the solid surface. 

“Mother fucker” she breathed out through clenched teeth, working to catch the breath the pain had just taken as she watched Wynonna fall back laughing at her attempt. 

“Damn and people say I’m stubborn.” Wynonna cackled. 

“Shut up” Nicole said harshly, blushing as embarrassment crept through her at how weak she felt. She sat back and watched Wynonna continue to stack sticks before pulling her knife and a little tool out of her pocket. “What are you doing anyways?” 

“Lighting a fire.” Wynonna said matter of factly as she began to strike the knife against the little tool, sparks flying off and into the moss Wynonna had collected. “I figured if we’re going to be here over night, we might want something to ward off the mountain lions.”

Nicole’s eyes widen at the words, instinctively checking over each shoulder before turning and looking at the eat shit grin on Wynonna’s face. 

“Whatever.” She huffed out, tossing a twig in the other woman’s direction. “How’d you learn to build a fire anyways?” 

“The scouts” Wynonna answered as she placed the lit moss under the pile of sticks she’d built, smoke billowing out of the cracks as the sticks caught flame. 

“Wait you were in the scouts?” Nicole asked, surprise in her voice at the other woman’s admission. 

“No definitely not.” Wynonna snorted, taking a seat across from Nicole on the other side of the warm flames. “But if you spend enough time beating them up in school, you learn something eventually.”

“Ahh now that makes more sense.” Nicole said, chuckling at Wynonna’s response. 

Nicole sat staring at the flames, zoning out as the air between the two of them grew thick with tensions. While Wynonna and Nicole had made leaps and bounds of progress in just the last 48 hours, Nicole couldn’t instantly turn her brain off from everything that had happened, or pretend like she hadn’t just hated Wynonna a short time ago. She appreciated Wynonna for what she’d done but she couldn’t just erase the past, and if the unsure look on Wynonna’s face was any indication, neither could she. 

“Uh-“ Nicole choked out, breaking the silence that has settled over them as she coughed out. “Uh I just wanted to say… to thank you...for earlier. I’m not sure what would have happ-“ 

Wynonna held up her hand, cutting Nicole off as she stared straight into the fire. 

“No mention of it Red. I’d do anything for Waverly.” 

“Right” Nicole said shaking her head as she tossed some leaves into the fire, trying to look anywhere but Wynonna. “For Waverly.” 

Silence settled over them again, briefly before Nicole felt herself cringe at the awkwardness and a need to break it. 

“Man what I wouldn’t give for a cheeseburger right now.” She said, Wynonna laughing in response as she relaxed a bit. 

“I don’t have that.” Wynonna said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a flask before tossing it to Nicole. “But I can do you one better.” 

Nicole caught the tin, grinning to herself as she popped open the top and took a long swig. She relaxed into the familiar burn of the whiskey as it hit the back of her throat, letting the warmth coarse through her body before taking another gulp. 

“Alright, alright Red.” Wynonna called, reaching her hands out for the flask before grabbing it from Nicole. “Save some for the rest of us.”

Nicole watched as Wynonna took a swig, not even wincing as she swallowed a mouth full. 

“You and your sister have that in common you know?” She said, catching the other woman’s attention as she took another gulp. 

“What?” Wynonna asked quizzically as she handed the whiskey back over to Nicole. 

“You guys can damn sure drink.” She said with a smile, downing more of the brown liquid. 

“That’s an Earp thing.” Wynonna said with a breathy laugh as she gazed into the flame, eyes dancing with orange. “We might not always do right, but we damn sure got that down pat.” 

Nicole paused, watching the fire dance as momentary silence settled over them once more. 

“Well you did right today.” Nicole genuinely offered, Wynonna’s eyes flickering up and meeting hers before quickly looking back down and breaking the sentiment. “Do you think Waverly is looking for us?” Nicole inquired as she passed the flask back to Wynonna. 

“If I know my sister” She answered with a smile, pausing to finish off the contents of the tin. “She’s brought the cavalry out for us.” She continued with a shrug. “And she’s probably cussing us for all we are worth.”

——

“Those assholes.” Waverly murmured under her breath as she continued her pacing. “I swear to god I’m going to kill both of them when I get my hands on them.” 

She heard rustling resonating from the trees before she looked up, heart beating faster and then faltering when another local cops comes out of the brush. 

“Waves!” Someone called out from behind the crowd, catching her attention as she searched for the source. 

“Waves!” Jeremy called as he pushed through two men and made his way over to Waverly, embracing her tightly when within reach. 

“Jeremy” Waverly sighed, relaxing into her best friend’s comforting touch. “What are you doing here?” 

“I came over as soon as I heard.” He said, squeezing Waverly tighter before pulling back. “How are you doing?” 

Waverly looked around at the dozens of cops that worked their way in and out of the woods, ambulances on hand for when Nicole and Wynonna make it out, if they make it out. How was she doing? Her girlfriend and sister were missing, in the woods that also contained the people that had kidnapped her. That was a loaded question, one Waverly definitely couldn’t bring herself to answer at the moment. 

“I’m doing as well as I can.” She said, offering up her best smile but feeling it fall short. 

Jeremy looked at her with concerned eyes after taking in the scene around him. 

“Have you slept any Waves?” He asked, noting the distressed appearance of the brunette. “Maybe you should take a br”

Waverly cut him off with a strong shake of the head. 

“‘No they could come out at any time.” She said peering over at the woods, hoping her words would pull them out. “I need to be here when they come out.” 

Jeremy warped his arm around the smaller woman, Waverly leaning into his embrace. 

“That’s what I figured you’d say, so I bought you this.” He said as he held up a coffee in her face.

Waverly felt a smile creep across her face before she took the offering and squeezed the boy tighter. 

“Thank you Jeremy.” 

He rubbed his hand up and down Waverly’s arm reassuringly, the woman closing her eyes as he did. 

“They’ll come back Waves and we will wait here until they do.” 

——-

Nicole felt herself jolt awake as something tickled her nose, blinking at the lightness of the woods around her and trying to figure out where she was before she making out Wynonna’s figure standing over her. 

“Wake and bake Haught. We got to get a move on.” 

Nicole shook the remnants of the whiskey from her brain. She didn’t even remember falling asleep but her body was so tired she assumed exhaustion took over her eventually. She turned to stretch before stopping abruptly at the pain and soreness she felt down to her bones. 

“Holy” she gasped, falling back onto the log. “Shit.” If she thought she hurt yesterday, that was a cakewalk compared to what hours of sleeping against a log on the forest floor did to her already aching body

Nicole watched, head laid against the wooden surface as Wynonna freely stretched her limbs, envy growing at the sight before Wynonna turned and looked at her expectantly.

“Just give me a minute.” Nicole huffed out, arms shaking as she pushed herself up to sit on the log before pausing again to catch her breath. 

Wynonna walked over to Nicole and dipped her arm around her waist before pulling her up, much to the groans of the redhead. 

“I can do it Wynonna.” Nicole spit, pushing against Wynonna but barely even moving her. 

“I know you can Red. You’re tough and strong and all that jazz .” Wynonna said sarcastically, patting her against the side lightly. “But If we don’t make it back to Waverly today, neither of us will be alive to walk.” 

Nicole contemplated what the other woman said, smiling as her chest lightened at the thought of seeing Waverly. As much as Nicole hated being at the mercy of someone she had until recently deemed her mortal enemy, she would do anything to get back to Waverly even if it meant leaning on Wynonna, literally, to get there faster. 

“Jesus Christ Haught, I didn’t say lay on me.” Wynonna struggled as she tried to keep her footing beneath Nicole’s body weight. 

Nicole didn’t even reply, her usual smartassness all but gone as thoughts of Waverly played through her head. 

——

Waverly stood behind Dolls’ car, Jeremy keeping a lookout as she loaded shells into the chamber of her shotgun. 

“Waves I really don’t like this.” Jeremy said in a panic as he bounced on his feet and looked around the other side of the car. 

“Just calm your tits Jeremy.” Waverly replied, rolling her eyes as she loaded in the last round and pumped the shotgun. “I’m all done.”

Waverly began to walk passed Jeremy, the boy jogging behind her as she stalked towards the crowd of officers. 

“Waves, don’t you think you need to leave this to the professionals?” He tried to convince her, waving his hands towards the cops they were headed towards. 

“Jeremy” Waverly huffed, turning to stare him down. “I’ve left it up to these professionals for two days. It’s almost dusk, again. I’m not going home tonight without Nicole.” 

Waverly turned and resumed her quick pace towards the woods, passing by the officers until one of them stepped in front of her, stopping her in her tracks as she looked up to glare at him. 

“Woah little lady” he said with a stern voice. “Where do you think you’re going?” 

Waverly blew out of her nose, agitated that the man interrupted her plan. 

“I’m going to do what you all” she gritted out, pointing towards the group of officers that stood around drinking coffee. “Should have already done. Find my fucking girlfriend.”

The cop wide eyed Waverly, shocked at the woman’s outburst before stepping in front of her once more when she tried to move around him. 

“Uh- I can't let you do that little lady.” The man replied, voice deeper. “This is an active crime scene. You can’t ju-“

Waverly felt her patience snap, bringing the gun up in her hands and gripping it tightly as she narrowed her eyes at the cop before her. 

“First of all, I’m not your little lady.” Waverly huffed. “And secondly, I’ll do whatever the fuck I want to do so if you don’t get the hell out of my way then I’ll jus-“ 

“Waves.”

Waverly felt her anger rush from her body as the familiar sound rushed into her ears, singing a sweet melody to her as it coated her body with a relief she had began to worry she’d never feel again. 

Nicole. 

Waverly turned towards the noise and felt her heart crack as she laid eyes on the redhead, somewhat standing upright as she learnt against Wynonna but alive nonetheless. Waverly stood frozen as she stared at Nicole, brown eyes soft as they met hers back. She was afraid to move, afraid that what she was seeing was just a dream that would float away from her if she disrupted the moment. Everytime she had closed her eyes over the past two days all she had seen was Nicole, a Nicole that would disappear as soon as she opened them back up, but this was different. Waverly was blinking and Nicole was still there, standing and looking back at her a mere ten feet away. 

“Waves.” She repeated. 

This broke Waverly from her spell as she dropped the shotgun and ran to Nicole, crashing into her and knocking the woman to the ground. They landed with a thud but Waverly didn’t even notice as she buried her head into Nicole and wrapped her arms around her. Waverly felt her shoulders shake, sobs racking through her body she didn’t even know where there as she gripped onto Nicole tightly, afraid she’d disappear again if she let her go. She’d spent days wondering if she’d ever get to see Nicole again, days in the basement and days while the redhead had been missing wondering if she’d ever get to hold her again and there was no way she was going to let her go. 

“Ow” Nicole squeaked out

Ok maybe one way. 

Waverly pulled back from Nicole, looking down at her as the redhead smiled back up and wiped a tear from her cheek. 

“Hey baby” she whispered. 

Waverly cracked again and laid back down onto Nicole’s chest, letting her emotions run freely through her as Nicole held her and ran her hands up her back before Waverly jumped back up

 

“Don’t hey baby me.” Waverly scoffed, staring down at Nicole sternly as she remembered everything that had transpired. “What the hell were you thinking Nicole Haught?” She gripped Nicole’s collar. 

“Ummm that I really love you and think you’re really pretty.” Nicole offered, clearly frightened by the pissed off fireball above her. 

Waverly wanted to stay mad at Nicole, she had been seething the past two days at the dumb heroics of the other woman but as she looked down at the puppy dog eyes she was being offered, she just couldn’t. She didn’t want to anyways. They’d wasted enough time apart before all this had happened, stupidly taking their time for granted when clearly anything could happen at any moment and Waverly didn’t want to do that anymore. All she wanted was Nicole. 

She stared into the redhead’s eyes before crashing their lips together, sighing into the familiar flutter in her stomach she always felt when kissing Nicole. She pushed her lips against her’s harder, enticing a whimper from the other woman as she tried to pour everything she’d felt over the past few days into the kiss. 

“Uh-huh” Wynonna cleared her throat, making Waverly pull away and suddenly remember where they were. She slowly looked around, taking in the multiple eyes that were staring at them before looking down at Nicole sheepishly and burying her embarrassment into Nicole’s neck. 

Waverly felt Nicole chuckle under her before wincing in pain, causing Waverly to jump up off her body and kneel down beside her as Nicole just lay there catching her breath. 

“Oh my God. I’m so sorry” Waverly said in a panic, ghosting her hands over Nicole’s body unsure of where the pain was coming from since she looked a wreck from head to toe. 

Nicole smiled and grabbed her hands, bringing them to her mouth and placing a kiss to her knuckles. 

“You were worth it.” Nicole smiled back up to her, making Waverly’s heart swell and Wynonna gag distantly in the background. 

“Need some help?” Dolls said as he approached the couple, kneeling down and offering his hand to Nicole before she took it and pulled herself up with a grunt. 

“Thank you man.” Nicole said, patting him on the back. “For everything.”

 

Waverly quickly rushed to Nicole’s side and wrapped an arm around her waist. She knew their height difference didn’t leave her much room to help but as Nicole tightly gripped her shoulder she knew she was needed. 

Waverly sat with Nicole, holding her hand tightly as the paramedics checked her out in the back of the ambulance. She had a concussion and three cracked ribs plus mounds of cuts and bruises but they both knew anything was better than the what could have been they’d both been facing down. 

“It’s probably best we admit you to the hospital.” The paramedic began to say as Nicole’s grip on Waverly’s hand turned to steel and she looked up at her with panicked eyes, shaking her head feverishly. 

Waverly brushed a loose strand of hair behind Nicole’s ear with a sympathetic smile before turning to the paramedics. 

“That won’t be necessary.” She instructed. “She’s going to come home with me.” 

The paramedics eyed her questionably before one of them opened his mouth to argue, Waverly cutting him off before he could get a chance. 

“I said she’s coming home with me.” She said more sternly, intimidating eyes pointed at the pair before they nodded their heads.

She felt Nicole’s grip relax as she looked back down at the redhead, meeting appreciative eyes before she pressed her mouth to hers softly. 

“Let’s get you home baby.” Waverly whispered against her lips. 

The ride back to town was relatively silent, no one having the energy to talk about what had transpired the past few days. Dolls drove as Wynonna rode in the passenger's seat, Waverly sitting in the back as Nicole laid her head down in her lap. Waverly stared out the window, watching the trees pass by as she stroked Nicole’s hair, touching some part of her to know that she was really there. She peered down at Nicole, tears coming to her eyes as she watched the redhead sleep peacefully beneath her before turning to gaze back out the window. She felt a hand come up and graze her face, wiping at her cheeks and bringing her attention back down as Nicole smiled up at her reassuringly and as she looked into those soft brown eyes, Waverly felt for the first time in a while that everything would be alright. 

They arrived at Waverly’s shortly after, Wynonna and Waverly helping Nicole out of the car and into the house before Wynonna silently drifted off into the guest room, tension between the sisters still high. She knew they needed to talk, but she knew that would have to wait as she took in the raggedy appearance of Nicole swaying back and forth in the bedroom. Waverly had briefly noted Nicole’s appearance when she first saw her but she was just so happy to see her alive that she hadn’t really seen her fully. Her hair was matted, dirt caking it to her head and her eyes were completely sunken in. Her jaw was bruised and her clothes were cut from one end to the other. Nicole had always carried herself with a strong, demanding demeanor but as Waverly watched her barely able to hold herself up against the couch she can’t help but pay attention to how fragile she really looked. 

Waverly walked over to her and gently rubbed the bruise that had formed against her jaw, Nicole closing her eyes at her touch. 

“Baby why don’t you go take a shower. I’ll fix you something warm to eat.” 

Nicole nodded and started to make her way there before stumbling, Waverly catching her before she fell. 

“Do you need help?” She asked, concern etched in her features as Nicole struggled to regain her balance. 

“No Waverly I’m fine.” Nicole snapped, catching Waverly off guard and making her pull back. “I can help myself.” 

Waverly stood in the living room, the sting of rejection poking at her as she watched Nicole slowly work her way into the bathroom. She shook her head trying to free her mind of the hurt she felt at Nicole’s reaction before heading to the kitchen and pulling out some soup to warm up. She poured the contents of the can into a pot and sat it on the stove as she listened to the shower turn on. She knew Nicole was tired, hell they were all tired, so she brushed away the pain she felt at Nicole not letting her help as she poured the soup into a bowl and sat down at the table with it. 

Waverly sat, noting the steam from the soup had stopped as she waited for Nicole to come out from the shower. She nervously picked at her fingers, chewing on her nail as panic crept through her and her mind raced of what could be taking Nicole so long. She knew the woman was dirty and definitely deserved an extended shower but she’d been in there way too long. 

Finally Waverly had enough waiting, her chest beating faster as she walked briskly to the bathroom and knocked on the door. 

“Nicole are you okay?” She asked, anxiously waiting for a reply but receiving none. 

She knocked on the door again and placed her ear to it. She could still hear the shower running so she knew Nicole was still in there. Her anxiety started to rise as she thought about all the things that could have happened to Nicole while she was in the shower, internal injuries they didn't know about now popping up. 

Waverly was in a full blown panic as she rapped briskly on the door. 

“Nicole? Nicole?!” Her voice rising as she spoke. “Ok I’m coming in.” She announced before throwing the door open and looking around for Nicole, her face faltering whwn she found her huddled on the floor of the shower. 

“Baby..” she breathed out, opening the shower door and turning off the water before leaning down to the stolic redhead, knees bunched to her chest as she holds them in her arms. 

Waverly reached up and touched Nicole, the redhead jumping at her hand as if coming back to reality before staring at her wildly. 

“Nicole are you okay?” Waverly asked concerned. 

Nicole blinked rapidly at her, as if trying to figure out what was going on before looking around and realizing where she was. 

“Uh-Uh yeah I’m fine.” She said unsurely as she shook her head and closed her eyes for a moment. “Sorry I must have zoned out or something.”

Waverly watched as Nicole relaxed, dropping her knees and arms before running her hands through her hair and collecting herself. She wasn’t sure what Nicole had been doing but she could tell she was not ok by the way her eyes panicked and her hands trembled. 

“Baby why don’t you let me-“ Wavelry started to say before Nicole cut her off. 

“No Waverly, I’ve got it.” Nicole said harshly, similar tone as before, making Waverly pull back again. 

Waverly watched as Nicole struggled to stand up before she climbed into the shower and sat down across from her. 

“Waverly what are your doing?” Nicole asked, remnants of irritation still in her voice. 

“Let me help you Nicole.” Waverly said sternly as she placed her hands on the redhead’s knees. 

Nicole eyed her for a moment before waving her off and trying to stand up again. 

“Waverly you don’t have to do this. I’m fine baby.” She said sweeter this time but with an uncertainty Waverly didn’t miss. 

Waverly moved her hands to Nicole’s shoulders and stopped her movements, bring her eyes back to meet her. 

“Baby” she breathed out, moving her hands to cup Nicole’s cheeks. “Let me help you okay?” 

Waverly watched Nicole’s eyes as they flicked back and forth between her own. She was trying to fight her, trying to pull against that unnatural feeling Waverly knew the woman felt towards being vulnerable with anyone, but Waverly wasn’t just anyone. 

“Waverly” Nicole almost whined, eyes full of reluctancy. 

“You help so many other people, me included. You’ve got to let someone be that for you.” Waverly begged, eyes filling with tears involuntarily. She wasn’t hurt that Nicole didn’t want her help, her heart just ached for Nicole as she watched the redhead struggle internally with letting that part of her go, the part that didn’t want to show any weakness even when she needed to. “I know this is hard for you baby, but you need to let me help you Nicole, please.”

Waverly watched as Nicole’s eyes flashed with trepidation before they finally relented and she nodded her head, eyes watery with unshed tears. 

Nicole grabbed Waverly’s wrist as the brunette leaned in to kiss her forehead before pulling back and looking into her eyes. 

“How about I draw us both a bath?” She asked, Nicole smiling up at her in return. 

“I think I’d love that.” 

Waverly smiled and kissed Nicole’s lips before she climbed out of the shower and started running their bath. She let the tub fill up with hot water and soothing bubble bath before she stripped her clothes and climbed in, sitting against the back of the tub and ushering Nicole to join her. She spread her legs and let Nicole climb in between them, lounging her back against Waverly’s front as Waverly wrapped her arms around the redhead’s chest and pulled her flush against her. 

She felt Nicole finally relax against her as she poured cups of water through her hair and brushed her fingers along Nicole’s scalp. 

“Mmm that feels good” Nicole breathed out as she melted against Waverly’s touch. 

“Yeah?” Waverly asked, kissing Nicole’s temple as the redhead laid her head back against her shoulder. 

“Yes baby, thank you.” Nicole replied as she nuzzled Waverly’s neck, sending chills up her spine. 

“Thank you for finally letting me take care of you.” She said as she massaged Nicole’s shoulders with soap. 

“I’m sorry Waves.” Nicole said, eyes full of sorrow as she looked up at Waverly. “I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. I was just fe-“

Waverly cut her off with a kiss, exhaling as Nicole deepened it before pulling back and leaving Waverly dazed. 

“It-it’s okay.” She squeaked out before clearing her head and resuming her ministrations on Nicole’s shoulders. 

They both lay in the tub, the water chilling and skin pruning as they silently soaked in each other’s company, mood heavy as the past day’s events really sunk in. 

“Waves” Nicole asked nervously, voice cracking slightly. 

“Hmm” Waverly hummed in response, eyes closed as she relaxed into the feeling of Nicole in her arms. 

“You don’t think differently of me do you?” Nicole asked, turning her head to meet Waverly’s eyes.

“What do you mean?” Waverly questioned, confusion at what Nicole meant. 

Nicole broke Waverly’s gaze, turning to look at the wall as if ashamed to meet her eye. 

“For the stuff I did out there? The things you saw me do” Nicole stated, brow furrowing as she continued. “I know it was a lot to take in and I know it may change your opinion of me and I hate that. I was just so scared for you, for us.”

Waverly took in the frantic state of the other woman as she rambled before she grabbed her face and pulled it to meet hers, staring deeply into her eyes hoping Nicole could register the magnitude of what she said. 

“Nicole, I would never view you differently than I did before.” Waverly assured her as Nicole soften beneath her gaze. “You did what you had to do for all of us and I know that. I love you even more for it. I love every part of you Nicole Haught, nothing could change that.” 

Waverly watched Nicole’s eyes water before the redhead pulled her down into a bruising kiss, slipping her tongue in and swirling around Waverly’s, leaving the brunette breathless as she pushed her back. 

“Wow.” Waverly said, choking on air as she worked to catch her breath. “But there is one thing you need to know.” 

Nicole hummed as she chased Waverly’s lips and pulled her back down into another bruising kiss before Waverly found her footing and pushed away again. 

“I’m not a child Nicole.” She said, voice laced with a seriousness that made Nicole stop and look at her. “You don’t have to keep things from me like you did. I’m not a fragile baby. I can handle, have handled, a lot of shit. I appreciate you protecting me the way you do but I want to be your partner through and through okay?” 

Nicole looked up at Waverly with sympathy in her eyes before kissing the brunette once more and pulling back slightly.

“Through and through. I promise.” She whispered into her mouth before Waverly smiled and reconnected their lips. 

The kiss between them quickly grew, burning with a desperation that could only come from a situation such as theirs as Nicole wrapped her hand around the back of Waverly’s neck and pulled her against her roughly, Waverly’s hand gripping Nicole’s cheek in response. 

The pair climbed out of tub, water long forgotten and lips barely disconnecting from one another as they stumbled into the bedroom, hands gripping and grabbing body parts as they worked their way up the bed. 

Waverly pushed Nicole back against the mattress, trailing kisses down her neck as the redhead whimpered below her. She pulled back and looked at Nicole, connecting their gaze and pausing for a moment before pressing her lips lightly to Nicole’s swollen ones. They held the soft sentiment between them momentarily until Nicole pulled Waverly down and pushed her tongue into her mouth, strong hands gripping brunette hair as she did, making Waverly whimper and grab Nicole sides. 

“Ahh fuck, fuck.” Nicole gasped, pushing Waverly back as she gripped her side in pain. 

Waverly sat back immediately, concern filling her chest as she watched Nicole writhe in pain. 

“Oh no, baby I’m so sorry.” She said as she combed her hair back with her hand. “I forgot I’m sorry.”

Waverly felt Nicole grabbed her hand and squeeze it as she looked back down at her. 

“Waves it’s okay.” Nicole heaved, smiling through gritted teeth. “We Uh, we might just need to wait on this.” She said apologetically, leaning up and pecking Waverly’s lips as the brunette crawled off of her. 

“Yeah you’re right.” She said reluctantly. “You need to rest anyways.” 

Waverly stood up and pulled the covers down before throwing them back over Nicole, the redhead opening them up for Waverly in response. 

“Come here” she said sleepily, a yawn escaping her lips as Waverly crawled into the bed and snuggled against her good side. 

Waverly wrapped her arms around Nicole, pulling her flush against her and burying into her side as she inhaled her scent.

“I was so scared I wouldn’t get to do this again.” Waverly admitted, emotions getting the best of her as she lay against Nicole’s familiar warmth. 

“I told you I’d make it back didn’t I?” Nicole retorted, squeezing Waverly against her as her eyes fluttered closed. 

“It took you long enough” Waverly chuckled, laying against Nicole’s side as she felt the redhead’s breathing deepen, her own exhaustion overcoming her as she was lulled to sleep by Nicole’s steady heartbeat. 

——

Waverly awoke with a shiver, tossing and turning to Nicole’s side of the bed for warmth, finding nothing but cool sheets. She sat up and looked around the room, searching for the redhead before climbing out of bed and checking the bathroom, finding no one there as her heart began to race. She quickly threw on some clothes before cracking the bedroom door and peering out into the living room, seeing the redhead sitting up in a chair facing the front door. 

Waverly walked out of the room and slowly approached Nicole, confused at what she was doing out of bed so late and what she was doing just sitting in a chair in the dark in the living room. As she approached her, Waverly noticed her stone appearance and the shotgun strone across her lap before careful placing a hand onto Nicole’s shoulder. 

“Baby” she whispered quietly as she moved to crouch in front of Nicole, her eyes dark and filled with distress. “Are you okay?”

Waverly noticed Nicole’s grip tighten on the gun as she stared straight into the front door, jaw clenched as she spoke. 

“I-I can’t sleep.” Nicole stammered, heart beating almost visibly out of her chest. “There’s so many more of them out there Waverly, they know where you live… where you work. I can’t, I won’t let them get to you again.” 

Waverly placed her hands on Nicole’s, rubbing them as she gripped the shotgun with knuckle strength. 

“Baby I’m right here.” She assured her, Nicole’s gaze never leaving the door. “No one is going to get me.” 

“You’re damn right about that.” Nicole chuckled, her laugh hollow and void. 

Waverly paused, looking at Nicole worriedly before going over to the couch and grabbing a blanket. 

“Well I guess we are sleeping out here then.”  
She quipped as she stood in front of Nicole, blanket in hand as the redhead finally looked at her. 

“Go back to bed baby.” Nicole said with a look of guilt, Waverly could tell she didn’t want to be doing this but she also knew that in this moment Nicole needed to. “You need some sleep.”

“You’re right” Waverly agreed before wrapping the blanket around herself. “And I can’t sleep without you, so open up.” 

Nicole smiled slightly as she moved the shotgun to one hand and opened her arms, Waverly climbing onto her lap and nuzzling into her neck, taking in the hardness of the redhead’s normally soft body beneath her. 

“I love you Nicole” she whispered reassuringly as she combed her hand into her hair, letting the motion and Nicole’s presence carry her back to sleep 

——-

Wynonna downed another shot, staring up at the ceiling as the liquid burned down her throat. She was tired, exhaustion from the past days events threatening to take her away before she felt the familiar buzz of her phone. 

Digging it out of her pocket she saw a call from a number she didn’t recognize before she answered it. 

“Hello?” 

“What? Did you think you were doing to get rid of me that easily?” The voice on the other end said, pulling Wynonna’s stomach to her throat. 

Bobo. 

“What the fuck do you want?” Wynonna asked, anger rushing through her as the man spoke. 

“Now is that anyway to talk to any old friend?” He chuckled. 

“I’m pretty sure we’ve never been that.” Wynonna said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes. 

“Ahhh come on, I let your sister go didn’t I?” He tried. 

“More like you kidnapped my sister in the first place.” Wynonna retorted. “But honestly I should thank you in a way. I’ve been working for you for all these years so you wouldn’t touch her and you did anyways. At least I’m free.” 

Wynonna pulled the phone back as Bobo laughed loudly into the other end. 

“Oh man is that what you think?” He continued. “No see Wynonna, your sister was just a ploy. I could care less about the little Earp. You’re going to help me with something else.” 

Wynonna chuckled this time, shocked by the  
man’s audacity.

“Yeah right, my debts settled Bobo and you’ve already gotten to my sister. Why the hell else would I help you?” 

“I think I’ve got a little incentive, check your email.”

Wynonna pulled the phone away, trembling hands working the buttons until she pulled up what Bobo was referring to, her throat closing as she tried to catch her breath. 

“That’s right” he spoke, garnering her attention once more. “You’re going to help me because if you don’t, little Earp is going to find out what else you’ve been keeping from her, and we wouldn’t want that would we?” 

“What the fuck do you want Bobo?” Wynonna choked out as she tried to steady her shaking nerves. 

“It’s who I want Wynonna.” He corrected her. “You see I’m done with you Earps, you interest me much less than you use to. However, that detective. Now that’s one useful killing machine.” 

“I’m not going to help you get to Nicole.” Wynonna replied. 

“Oh you will bitch.” Bobo growled sinisterly. “You’re going to bring me that fucking detective or I’m going to wreck your babygirl’s world....I’ll be waiting.” He punched out before hanging up. 

Wynonna looked down at the phone, eyes locked into the information Bobo had just sent her before she threw it against the wall. She grabbed the whiskey from the desk and chugged the rest of it, pulling back and stopping herself from busting. 

She creeped out of the room and into the kitchen, grabbing another bottle and pouring herself a glass before glancing over at the sleeping couple in the recliner of the living room. Waverly curled up onto Nicole who was knocked out below her, barely holding onto a shotgun in her hand. 

Wynonna walked over and carefully took the gun into her hand, watching Nicole as she slept before throwing the shotgun over her shoulder and downing the whiskey in her hand as she peered down at the redhead. 

“Fuck”


	25. Chapter 25: A Day of Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Waverly and Nicole work on bringing themselves back to normalcy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, Yo! So sorry for the delay in posting. Everything I wrote, I hated so I took a small mental break and I’m glad I did because this is much better. 
> 
> This really is just fluff and smut through and through but it was needed after the angst.

Waverly gave Nicole a reluctant smile as she pulled the wrap around the redhead’s ribs tighter, drawing out a wince of pain as a result. 

“I’m sorry.” Waverly offered as she finished up taping the wrap. 

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Nicole said with a clenched jaw, gripping the edge of the stool with white knuckles. “It’s not your fault Waves.” 

But it was. Nicole had repeatedly told her that none of what happened was a result of her and Waverly had listened, but she couldn’t help but shake the feeling that in some way, it was her fault. Nicole had only been out in the woods in search of her and she had only been out there because of typical Earp family drama. No matter how she put it, Nicole being injured was a direct result of the Earp name and Waverly just wished she would admit it. 

“My sister shot you for Christ’s sake, Nicole.” Waverly scoffed, irritation working through her as she cleaned up the medical supplies scattered across the table. “Stop making excuses for it.” 

“Hey” Nicole said as she pulled her until she was situated between her legs, Waverly avoiding eye contact as she stared off at the wall passed Nicole.   
“Look at me.”

She stared at the wall blinking for a moment before finally looking down at Nicole, her eyes soft as she offered a dimpled grin, Waverly’s irritable mood melting away at the site. 

“This isn’t your fault Waves. You can’t control what anyone else does. You didn’t even know what was going on so how could you? I don’t blame you for anything, so can you please stop blaming yourself? Shit happens sometimes and you can’t expect for all of it to be manageable. The important thing is that you’re okay and I’m okay and we’re together. If anything we are stronger for what we’ve been through.” Nicole assured her, wrapping her arms around Waverly’s waist making a small smile break across her face at the sentiment as she wrapped her hands around Nicole and rest her forehead on her shoulder. 

“Uhhh” Waverly groaned, curling her fingers through the hair at the nape of Nicole’s neck. “I know, I know. I’m sorry baby. It’s just hard to make myself believe that.” 

Waverly let herself relax into the redhead as strong hands ran up and down her back, the motion offering a familiar sense of calm that only came from being close to Nicole. 

“I know but keep trying.” Nicole said, kissing the side of her forehead as she pulled her closer. “And for what it’s worth, I’d take as many bullet and cracked ribs I had to if it meant I got to be with you.”

Waverly pulled back at the words, staring down at the sly grin on Nicole’s face before rolling her eyes and grabbing her face between her hands. 

“As much as I appreciate that.” Waverly said with a chuckle, a sense of desperation lacing her voice as she stared into deep brown eyes. “Please stop getting hurt. I’m not sure how much more I can take.”

Nicole smiled, surging forward and capturing her lips in a deep kiss before pulling back slightly. 

“I promise” she panted, smiling into Waverly’s mouth before connecting their lips once more. 

Waverly whimpered softly as Nicole deepened the kiss, tongue protruding into her mouth before it wrapped around her own. She felt heat begin to pool in her lower stomach as Nicole’s hands drifted lower and pulled her flush against her, chests brushing against one another’s. 

“I’ve missed this.” Nicole mumbled as she traveled down to Waverly’s neck, planting hot kisses against against skin as she moved. 

Waverly eyes fluttered close at the contact, her hands instinctively pulling Nicole’s head closer to her as the redhead nipped on the pulse point that was steady rising in speed at the feeling of Nicole’s hands running up and down her sides. 

“Mhmm” Waverly moaned softly in half hearted response as she worked her hands against the front of Nicole’s chest, feeling the redhead’s heart beat faster in response.

She felt Nicole grip the bottom of her shirt before Waverly lifted her arms and let her take it off, smiling in response as she tossed it across the room behind them. 

She felt Nicole pull against the back of her thighs before she happily obliged to the hint and climbed onto her lap, grinding down against her and making the other woman moan before gripping her face and pulling her into a sloppy kiss. 

Waverly gasped as she felt Nicole’s hand run up the length of her thigh and passed her shorts, brushing against the front of her sex as arousal pooled around the touch. Her hips involuntarily chased Nicole’s touch as the redhead pulled at her underwear, the sound of a phone ringing breaking the ignited air around them. 

“Damn it.” Nicole huffed, stopping her movements and pulling back from Waverly before checking the phone that sat buzzing on the table.” It’s Dolls.” 

Waverly groaned in frustration before knocking the phone out of Nicole’s hands and pulling her face back to her’s. 

“Ignore it.” 

Nicole smiled as she turned her attention back towards Waverly making her audibly gasp as long fingers tugged around the waistband of her shorts before dipping lower and landing in hot heat. 

“Oh,shit” Waverly moaned, pulling herself closer against the hand lightly cupping her center, trying to gain more friction from the redhead’s teasing hand. 

She felt Nicole smile against her neck as she openly panted against the contact, choking on air when a single digit began to circle her entrance causing her to still her movement in anticipation, only to be pulled out of her heated fever by the familiar sound of Nicole’s phone ringing. 

“Mother fucker.” Nicole growled. 

Waverly’s body relaxed as she sighed and laid her head down on Nicole’s shoulder, the redhead huffing and pulling her hand out of her shorts before grabbing the phone. 

“What?” She spit. 

Waverly pulled back, smiling as she watched a clearly frustrated Nicole try to calm herself down, eyes squeezed shut and cheeks flushed red, before she leaned forward and nipped at the skin of her outstretched neck, earning a hard squeeze on her side in response. 

“And this can’t be done ..some other time?” Nicole breathed out, voice an octave higher than normal as Waverly nipped at her ear. “I’m kind of, uh, busy right now.” 

Waverly smirked against Nicole’s collarbone, grinding down into her as the redhead’s breath hitched. 

“Ok” Nicole relented, voice heavy with frustration. “No it’s fine I’m coming.”

Nicole tossed her phone down onto the table, the device landing with a thud as she wrapped her arms around Waverly as she licked up the side of her neck. 

“Babe” she said breathlessly, leaning into Waverly’s working mouth as her grip tightened on her hips. “Dolls needs us to come down to the station to go over our statements from the incident.” 

Waverly kissed up to Nicole’s ear, placing her lips against it.

“But I need you here.” Waverly cooed, swiveling her hips against Nicole’s lap before crashing their lips together. 

“Waves” Nicole’s whined as she broke apart from the kiss, Waverly chasing her lips as she pulled them back. “Trust me I don’t want to but I-“ 

“Then don’t.” Waverly challenged, dipping her finger down taunt abs and passed Nicole’s waistband, the redhead groaning in response as her eyes fluttered closed. 

“Fuck it” she breathed out, wrapping a strong hand on the back of Waverly’s neck and pulling her forward into a bruising kiss.

She smiled against Nicole mouth, dipping her hand lower as the redhead deepened the kiss. She was could feel the heat radiating from Nicole’s center, a fractions distance away from when a ping made her pause 

Waverly jumped, pulling back as Nicole slammed her fist onto the table in frustration. She watched as the redhead gripped her phone, dropping her head in defeat as she read the message before looking up to Waverly with sad eyes. 

“I’m going to kill him.” She whined. 

Waverly smirked, placing a soft kiss to Nicole’s lips as she combed her hands through her hair. 

“Come on baby” She said seductively, staring down at Nicole. “Let’s go get this over with so I can bring you back home and take care of you.”

Nicole whimpered before nodding and standing up, placing Waverly on the ground before she pulled her back down into a searing kiss, breaking it and smirking to herself as she back pedaled towards the bedroom to change clothes. 

“You’re going to be the death of me Waverly Earp.”  
Nicole called out, dimpled grin on full display. 

——

They arrived at the station a little while later, Waverly’s fingers intertwined with Nicole’s as she pulled her through the building and into the private office. 

“Detective Haught.” Dolls said, looking up as the pair came into the room. “About time you made it.”

Nicole rolled her eyes as she flopped down into a chair, pulling Waverly along to sit in her lap as she wrapped her arms around her. 

That was something Waverly had noticed since the incident, Nicole’s need to be near her. Waverly wasn’t complaining, she loved her girlfriend’s affection, and would be there for Nicole’s to supply it but she couldn’t help but worry about her. Waverly knew she was struggling internally with everything that had happened, staying up all night and insistently keeping Waverly near her at all times out of sheer fear of letting her go. She knew Nicole was scared and now out in the daylight she could tell just how exhausted the redhead looked as well, the nights of restless sleep evident on her face. Her eyes were dark and sunken in from lack of sleep while her face and neck were littered with scrapes and scratches that had yet to heal. 

“Whatever Dolls, I was busy.” 

“Mhmm” Dolls replied with a knowing look. “I’m sure you were.” 

He was about to continue when the door burst open, Wynonna bounding it with a box of donuts in her hands and powder around her mouth. 

“I brought breakfast.” She said, tossing the box into the middle of the table and sitting down into one of the chairs as the other three stared at her. “What?” 

Waverly smiled at her sister’s ridiculousness before she reached over and grabbed a donut out of the box, handing it to Nicole before grabbing another one for herself and leaning back into the redhead’s chest. 

“Alright so now that we are all here and fed.” Dolls looked pointedly at Wynonna before continuing. “There’s some things I want to discuss with you guys. I have been reviewing all of your statements and something just doesn’t add up.” 

“What do you mean?” Nicole inquired as she ungracefully stuffed the rest of her donut into her mouth before wiping her hands on her pants, Waverly rolling her eyes and handing her a napkin with an expectant look.

“Wynonna told us that Bobo has always had his eye on Waverly, like a sick obsession correct?” Dolls inquired, Waverly feeling Nicole’s hold tighten around her at the question. “Well why after all these years would he take her to a cabin that was still in Purgatory after finally getting his hands on her? I mean he had ample amount of time to take her out of town where we couldn’t get to him and he didn’t” 

“Maybe he didn’t think we would be able to find him. I don’t understand what you’re getting at here.” Nicole replied, confusion in her voice. 

“My point is, Bobo had to have known we would come for him, come for Waverly. He visited her while she was in the basement which meant he was there not long before we arrived but when we got there he was mysteriously gone? If Waverly was what he really wanted then why would he leave her there knowing he was working on borrowed time?” I don’t think Waverly was the objective.” Dolls said, looking around the room. “I think Waverly was a-“

“Bait” Waverly finished, zoning out as she put together what Dolls was trying to explain. She had been a ploy, a mere toy in Bobo’s game. He could have easily escaped Purgatory with her if that’s what he wanted but instead he hung around, but for what? Waverly’s gripped tightened on Nicole’s knee as her anxiety rose. 

“Nicole.” She breathed out quietly. 

“What?” Nicole asked, confusion etched on her face. “What about me?” 

“He wants you Nicole.” Waverly explained, Nicole rolling her eyes and starting to protest before she cut her off. “No it makes total sense. Dolls is right. Bobo could have easily had his way with me but instead he had me wait like a sitting duck. What other reason did he have unless he wanted you to come to him? I mean think about it, he practically lured you to a completely secluded area where his men outnumbered you like 10 to 1.He wanted you to come.” 

“I don’t think so guys. I mean Wynonna said it herself, he’s always had an obsession about Waverly. What would he want with me? ” Nicole rebutted. 

“Because you’re probably a lot more valuable to him that Waverly is.” Wynonna explained, the group startling as she spoke for the first time. “Bobo likes to use people, play puppeteer with the lives of others. You’re a newer, shinier toy, something that he’s probably never seen before. I mean you single handedly killed like six of his guys.” 

“Well if I’m what he wants, then let’s call him up. I’d be more than willing to mee-“ Nicole tried before Waverly turned to her, eyes hard and panicked at what the redhead was saying. 

“No, Nicole.” She scolded, voice stern as she glared at the redhead. “You’re not going to just go out there and taunt the man who almost got you killed.”

“But Waves, I’m not scared of this guy. The sooner we can get to him, the sooner this will all be over.” Nicole argued, anger rising in Waverly’s chest at Nicole’s nonchalant attitude towards the situation. 

“I don’t care if you’re scared of him or not” she snapped, Nicole jumping a bit as she pointed daggers at her with her eyes. “It’s not happening.” 

Nicole swallowed hard and softly nodded her head as Waverly narrowed her eyes at her. 

“You heard that.” Wynonna mumbled, a smirk plastered across her face as she tried to hide it behind the coffee cup held in front of it. 

“Shutup” Nicole grumbled as she took Waverly’s hand in hers, rubbing small circles with her thumb. 

“Guys!” Dolls exclaimed, drawing the attention of the room back to him as he exhaled. “Nicole your boss is right.” He said smirking at the redhead who scoffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. “You can’t just go out and there and call Bobo to you. It’s too dangerous.” He shook his head. “And even if you could, I don’t know that you’d find him.” 

“And why not?” Nicole asked pridefully, chest bolstering out instinctively at Dolls accusation. 

“Because we’ve searched Purgatory high and low for the passed two days and there’s no signs of the Banditos at all. No drugs, no cronies… and no Bobo.” He explained. 

“Well he’s got to be here somewhere.” Waverly argued. “I mean he’s obsessed with this town. He wouldn’t leave. Where would be have gone?” 

The pair looked expectantly over to Wynonna as she shoved her second donut into her mouth. 

“What?” She said through chews. 

“You wouldn’t happen to have any info on him would you?” Dolls accused, eyes laced with suspension as he looked over at Wynonna. “Know where he might be? Talked to him recently?”

Wynonna swallowed slowly, taking a sip of her coffee before placing her elbows on the table and looking between the three of them with a seriousness not normal displayed. 

“Look, I know I’m a bit suspect here and I totally get it, deserved on all accounts.” Wynonna said, hands raised in surrender. “But my time with the Banditos is finish. I'm done with those guys.” 

“If you say so but-“ Dolls retorted, Nicole cutting him off from his accusation. 

“Dolls come on, cut her a break.” 

Wynonna offered Nicole a small smile before she took another sip of coffee. 

“Fine.” He continued. “So what I want to do is go through your statements all together and look for anything that may give us a clue as to where Bobo is at.”

Waverly groaned internally as she relaxed back into Nicole, arms wrapping around her and squeezing as they watched Dolls dig through the stack of papers on his desk. She didn’t want to have to spend their morning in the office, the memories of earlier playing in her head and making her want to drag Nicole her back home. She felt Nicole shuffle underneath her as she placed her hand down onto the redhead’s knee, taking note that Nicole must feel the same way. 

“Why do I keep finding buttons all over the place?” Dolls asked absentmindedly, tossing a button behind him as Nicole choking on a breath and Waverly dug her nails into her knee. 

——

“God that was miserable.” Nicole groaned as she dragged herself into Waverly’s apartment, making Waverly chuckle as she watched the redhead flop herself down onto the couch,covering her eyes as she lay back against it. 

“Aww my poor baby.” Waverly smiled as she leaned over and ran her hand along Nicole’s cheek. “How about I make you some tea?” 

Nicole nodded as she scooted up against the armrest and stretched out against the couch, turning on the TV.

Waverly kissed the top of Nicole’s head before she walked into the kitchen and pulled down a coffee mug, filling it with water and placing a tea bag into the cup before putting it in the microwave. 

She heard the door open as she turned to see Wynonna walking through it.

“Babygirl.” Wynonna nodded towards Waverly. “Red.” She said as she walked over and sat down on the chair next to Nicole. 

Waverly shook her head at her sister, the ping of the microwave catching her attention as she retrieved the tea and carried it over to Nicole. 

“Thank you baby.” She said with an appreciative smile. 

Waverly rubbed her head before walking around the couch and sitting between Nicole’s legs, curling up into her front as the redhead sipped her tea. 

“What are we watching?” Wynonna inquired, kicking her shoes off. 

“Coyote Ugly.” Nicole answered excitedly. 

“It’s Nicole’s favorite.” Waverly grinned, rubbing Nicole’s forearm. 

The trio sat in silence, Waverly noticing when Nicole’s grip around her slackened and her breathing deepened gradually. She looked up and smiled at the redhead whose head was tossed back, eyes shut as a result of the deep sleep she had fallen into. 

“For this to be Red’s favorite movie, she sure seems uninterested.” Wynonna joked, drawing Waverly’s attention over to her. 

“I may have slipped half a melatonin in her tea” Waverly winced innocently. She knew that she had technically drugged her girlfriend but the redhead desperately needed the rest and Waverly knew if she didn’t take measures into her own hands somehow that Nicole may never get it.

“You adorable little psycho.” Wynonna replied with a chuckle, hesitant eyes lingering on Waverly for a moment. “Listen Waves, I wanted to talk to you about… everything.”

“It’s fine Wynonna. Nicole explained everything to me.” Waverly assured her, trying to put off opening that can of worms. Truthfully Waverly had been furious with her sister at first, thoughts of never speaking to the woman again playing in her head, but when Nicole had came to Wynonna’s defense and explained the situation, practically begging her not to turn her back on Wynonna, Waverly couldn’t help but feel bad for her sister. She had lived her life working to protect Waverly, all at her own expense. 

“And while I appreciate that, you deserve to hear it from me.” Wynonna continued, eyes glazing over with guilt as she looked sincerely over at Waverly. “I’ve been an awful sister to you Waves and I don’t even know where to start to try and make that up to you. Everything I’ve done…. it’s-“ she choked out, tears forming in her eyes. “After mama and daddy died, I wasn’t sure what would happen to us. I was so worried that we’d lose each other and I couldn’t let that happen an-and then Willa and everything that happened with her. I couldn’t lose you Waverly. I’m just so sorry for everything, all of it. I know you can’t just forgive me for what I’ve done but I hope you at least give me the chance to make it up to you.” She choked out in a panic, eyes cast down in shame. 

Waverly felt her heart clench in her chest at the sight of her broken sister sobbing in front of her. She leaned up and pulled Wynonna against her, squeezing the other woman as her own tears filled her eyes. 

“You should have just told me what was going on Wynonna.” Waverly said, pulling back and looking at her sister. “I could have helped. I-I could have done something, us together. We could have done something.”

Wynonna shook her head and wiped her eyes, recoiling from the emotional moment the sisters had just shared as she collected herself. 

“I couldn’t have done that. You don’t know Bobo babygirl.” She sat back against her chair, eyes haunted as she stared at the floor. “I couldn’t let him anywhere near you Waves. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“I can’t believe he’s just out running free.”  
Waverly shook her head as she sat back against the couch. “And you have no idea where he could be?”

“Nope” Wynonna quipped. 

She watched Wynonna suspiciously, her eyes staring straight ahead and avoiding her gaze as she picked at her fingernail. Waverly was about to question her further when she felt Nicole stir beside her. 

“Waverly” the redhead breathed out. 

Waverly expectantly turned her head to Nicole, only to be met with a sight that made her chest tighten. She had her eyes still closed, seemingly dreaming with a smile etched across her face. 

“Don’t tell her I said this...but you’ve got a good one babygirl.” Wynonna offered, Waverly’s eyes never leaving Nicole as she stared at her dreamily, basking in the deep emotions the sight of the redhead made her feel. 

“Yeah… Yeah I really do.” She said, smiling at Nicole as she watched her chest rise and fall. 

“Blehh” Wynonna gagged. “You guys make the Notebook look bleak.” 

Waverly chuckled as she rolled her eyes at Wynonna antics, laying down against Nicole’s chest once more. 

“What? You never found anyone out there during your secret adventures?” 

Wynonna have a hearty laugh before standing up and patting Waverly on the knee. 

“And that’s my cue.” She said as she walked towards the door. “I’m going to head to Gus’s for the night.” 

“You don’t have to stay there you know?” Waverly called out to her as she heard the front door open. 

“Ehh I know, but there’s a bit too much emotional bonding in the atmosphere here for me. Bye Waves, Red.” Wynonna answered as she walked out and slammed the door behind her. 

“I’m up!” Nicole exclaimed as she startled awake from the sound, jumping up and gripping Waverly tightly as her heart raced beneath her head. 

Waverly pushed a dazed Nicole back down, shushing her as she tried to coax her calmly. 

“It’s okay baby.” She breathed out as she ran her hands through redlocks, something she knows always calms Nicole down. “It was just Wynonna leaving.”

Nicole rubbed her eyes as she relaxed into Waverly's touch. 

“Ughh. I didn’t even mean to fall asleep.” She yawned, wrapping her arms around Waverly’s waist and pulling her closely. “What time is it?” 

“Almost 7.” She replied as she leaned up and looked down at Nicole. “I'm glad you got some rest.”

“I do feel a lot better.” Nicole said, grinning up at Waverly as she kissed her lips, humming at the contact. “You know what else would make me feel a lot better?”

Waverly smiled against Nicole’s lips, a warmth creeping up her chest as she felt her hands start to wonder down her body.

“Mmm, yes I do” she smirked against her mouth before pulling back and sitting up. “Food.”

Waverly stood up off the couch, chuckling as Nicole tossed her head back and exhaled dramatically.

“I’m going to order a pizza. Why don’t you go take a shower and get cleaned up while we wait for it.” Waverly instructed as she walked by the back of the couch, stopping when she felt Nicole tug at her wrist, pulling Waverly until she stood over her on the other side of the couch. 

“Why don’t you join me?” Nicole smirked with a raised eyebrow, sitting up and pulling Waverly to her. 

Waverly leaned down and pressed their lips together, whimpering when Nicole deepened it almost immediately. 

“As tempting as that offer is” Waverly breathed out, pushing off Nicole and standing back up so she was out of reach of the redhead’s grabby hands. “We definitely couldn’t get done before the pizza gets here and I want to take my time with you.” 

“Fine” Nicole grumbled, getting up off the couch and stretching. 

Waverly walked into the kitchen and grabbed her phone, smiling at Nicole as she watched her walk into the bedroom before hearing the water turn on. As the phone rang she let her imagination run wild thinking about Nicole getting undressed, slipping into the hot steam of the water and letting it run down her body. She thought about forgetting the pizza and taking Nicole up on her offer when someone answered on the other line, breaking her from the fog her mind had carried her to. 

Waverly placed the order and sat back against the counter, trying to find anything to distract her from climbing into the shower with her girlfriend. She didn’t want to seem desperate but her body was, it almost twitched with urge for Nicole’s touch, but Waverly didn’t want a quick release in the shower. After everything that had happened she craved Nicole and she wanted the woman to take her time. 

Waverly turned on some music to distract herself, dancing along with the beat as she straightened up the kitchen. She was so zoned out she didn’t hear the water shut off in the shower or the redhead who had walked into the kitchen, leaning against the counter to watch her. 

“How long did they say it would be?” Nicole asked, her voice startling Waverly and making her jump. 

“Jesus!” She exclaimed, placing her hand over her fast beating heart. “You scared the shit out of me.” 

Waverly stood against the counter, trying to calm her nerves when she felt arms wrap around her and Nicole’s body push flush against her back. 

“I’m sorry baby.” She whispered against her neck, placing a soft kiss there and sending a shiver down Waverly’s spine. “You just looked so cute dancing. I couldn’t help myself.”

Waverly relaxed back into the touch, heat rising through her body as she swayed against Nicole before turning in her arms and wrapping her hands around the back of her neck. She nearly choked, taking in Nicole as she stood before her clad only in a tank top and sleep shorts, muscles and long legs on display from head to toe. 

“Uh twen-twenty minutes.” She squeaked out as Nicole stood before her with a cocky smirk which made Waverly’s heart hammer in her chest even faster. 

Nicole kisses down Waverly’s neck when the familiar first notes of Tennessee Whiskey cracked out over the stereo.

The pair smiled at one another, a shy blush creeping up Waverly’s cheek at the memory before Nicole reached her hand out to Waverly. 

“May I?” She said with a dimpled grin. 

Waverly nodded and took her hand, letting Nicole pull her against her as they moved to the music. She laid her head on Nicole’s chest, fingers twirling the hair at her neck as she let her mind carry her back to their first date. She had trouble believe that was only five months ago, the events they had suffered through elongating their time and building between them a bond they wouldn’t have otherwise. 

“I was so nervous you know.” Nicole spoke, Waverly pulling back to look up at her. “For our first date. I was so nervous.” 

“Really?” Waverly asked, almost not believing that the cool demeanour redhead that had taken her out all those months ago was actually nervous. 

“For sure.” She nodded, breaking eye contact for a moment as she blushed herself. “ I seriously don’t think I ate anything for like two days before our date, my stomach was in knots the whole time.”

Waverly laughed, laying her head back down on Nicole’s chest as they continued to sway back and forth, taking reprieve in the fresh scent of her girlfriend that overtook her senses. 

“And then the dance.” Nicole continued. “Oh my God I was so embarrassed asking. I thought for sure you’d think it was dumb and say no.” 

“It was perfect.” Waverly assured her, tightening her grip slightly. “You’re perfect.” 

“I wanted to kiss you so bad that night but I was too nervous to make a move.” Nicole laughed, reaching out and twirling Waverly before bringing her back to her chest. “And then you kissed me anyways. I’m pretty sure everyone that passed me on the ride home thought I was crazy with the way I smiling like a jackass.” 

Waverly laughed, pulling Nicole down to connect their lips. 

”I’m so glad I met you” the redhead said, peering down at Waverly in a way that made her heart hammer in her chest a bit harder. 

“I love you so much Nicole.” Waverly breathed out. 

The doorbell ringing broke them out of their trance, Nicole going to retrieve the pizza as Waverly turned off the music and grabbed plates from the kitchen before bringing them over to the table. She divided portions out for both of them before sitting down in her normal spot at the table. 

“So I had a long talk with Wynonna.” Waverly informed her, swallowing a bite of pizza as Nicole looked on expectantly. 

“Oh yeah? How’d it go?” Nicole said as she took a sip of her drink. 

“It went okay. You know Wynonna, all cut off from her feelings and such so she would only go into so much detail about what she went through. She did apologized though so there’s that.” Waverly offered. 

“Well that’s good. Just give her some time Waves. I can tell she’s trying to do the right thing.” Nicole reached across and squeezed Waverly’s hand. 

“I still don’t know how you’re okay with all this.” Waverly said, voice laced with uncertainty as she absently played with her pizza. 

“Because that’s your sister baby.” Nicole said easily. “Look, does it suck she shot me? Yeah. Does it suck she kept this secret from you? Yeah. But she’s here now and she’s trying to do the right thing. That’s your family Waves, she cares about you. I know what it feels like to have your entire family outcast you. Just give her a chance alright?” 

She stared at Nicole, her soft eyes melting Waverly’s heart as she listened to the redhead defend her sister. She couldn’t understand how she’d gotten so lucky, how she’d ended up with someone who despite everything was so understanding and knew her well enough to know that Wynonna meant so much to her. She had been scared originally, a brief thought of Nicole making her choose between the two waltzing across her brain but she quickly dismissed that, knowing Nicole would never put her in that position. That even though Nicole had every right to, she never would do because she just wanted Waverly to be happy more than she cared about her own digresses. 

Waverly nodded at Nicole before she wiped her hands and tossed her napkin down on her plate. She pushed her chair back from the table, the noise of it scraping against the floor startling Nicole as she looked over and grabbed her hand. 

“What are you doing?” Nicole looked up, confusion on her face as she let Waverly pull her up from the chair. 

“Come on.” Waverly said determinedly, dragging the other woman behind her as she stalked to the bedroom. 

As soon as Waverly got them both beyond the threshold she turned and crashed her mouth into Nicole’s, letting the emotions she felt for the other woman drive her into maddening desire.

Nicole whimpered, caught off guard momentarily by Waverly’s tongue, before she reached down and picked Waverly up, her legs wrapping around her waist instinctively. 

She felt herself moving backwards as Nicole walked them to the bed, laying her down before leaning up and reaching back to strip off her own shirt. Waverly felt her mouth water as she stared at the figure before her, rippling muscles and taunt abs on display before leaning up and placing open mouth kisses along exposed skin. 

Waverly felt a jolt of arousal hit her as Nicole panted above her, igniting the air that was already burning furiously between them before she reached up and pulled Nicole’s shorts down, leaving the redhead standing before her in nothing but her underwear and bra. Waverly marveled at the sight, letting the image course through her veins and collect between her legs in a pulsating heat. 

“God you drive me crazy” Nicole breathed out as she climbed on top of Waverly, the brunette scooting back on the bed as the other woman slot between her thighs. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you in the shower” she whispered against her neck, breath hot as the kisses she laid there further burned Waverly’s heat. 

Waverly whimpered as Nicole pulled back, sitting up on her knees and pulling Waverly’s pants and underwear off in a fever before undoing her own bra and crashing back down into the bed. 

Waverly wrapped her hands around Nicole’s arms as she held herself up above her before moving them to grip at her breast, pulling a moan from the other woman as she thumb her nipple. 

“I’ve wanted you so bad all day.” Nicole panted against her mouth, pushing her chest more into Waverly’s hands as she grinded her hips down into Waverly’s center causing both women to groan at the contact. 

Waverly felt dizzy, overwhelmed with desire as she reveled in the feeling of Nicole everywhere all at once before she turned the redhead over until she was straddling her hips, trying to gain control of herself for a moment. She smirked at the surprised look on Nicole’s face as she discarded her own shirt and bra into the pile of clothes collecting on the floor before Nicole’s hands instantly found purchase on her chest. She swivelled her hips against Nicole’s pelvis, moaning at the contact as Nicole sat up and took her hardened nipple into her mouth. She gripped at red hair as Nicole nipped at her chest, losing herself in the pleasure of Nicole’s mouth before pushing her back down onto the bed. 

Waverly leaned down and ran her tongue along Nicole’s collarbone, sucking red marks into the porcelain skin there before trailing her tongue down the middle of Nicole’s chest. She moved down her stomach, nipping the skin there lightly before she kissed along the waistband in Nicole’s underwear. 

“Waves” Nicole whined, hips squirming before Waverly leaned back and pulled her underwear off. She felt her nerves spike as she stared down at an exposed Nicole, center glistening with arousal as her thighs quivered in anticipation.

Waverly was inexperienced compared to what Nicole was and that always made her nervous, but as Nicole stared up at her with patient eyes she felt a comfort come over her, a bolt of confidence spurring her forward as she pulled Nicole’s leg up to her mouth and worked kisses down her calf and thigh. She hooked the leg around her shoulder, the redhead digging her heel into her back and drawing Waverly down closer to her as she situated herself between Nicole’s thighs and drank in her pink folds. 

“Waves” Nicole pleaded, hips rising from the bed in desperation. 

Waverly kissed her sex lightly, hips bucking beneath her before she swiped her tongue into a wetness that had her grinding her own hips against the mattress below. She worked her tongue up and down, exploring unfamiliar territory as Nicole gripped her hair tightly and pulled her head up to where she wanted it most. 

Following the direction, Waverly swirled her tongue around Nicole’s swollen clit, moaning into her sex as the redhead opened her legs and spread herself wider for the welcomed contact. Her grip on Nicole’s thighs tightened as she drew tighter circles around her clit, picking up speed as small moans began to fall from above her. She brought her hand around, teasing Nicole’s entrance before plunging a single digit deep inside her, feeling Nicole’s thighs begin to quack and clamp down before the redhead pulled her back suddenly and brought her up to her mouth.

She crashed their lips together, pulling Waverly against her and flipping her over as she swirled her tongue in her mouth. Waverly gasped, trying to catch her breath from the sudden turn as Nicole straddled one of her thighs and gripped the other before pulling her sex flush against Waverly’s soaked core. 

“Fuckkk” Waverly moaned out, her eyes rolling back as she grinded herself against the new feeling of pleasure being pressed against Nicole provided, a heat that matched hers so intensely. 

“Holy shit ...you feel so good baby.” Nicole panted, eyes fluttering closed as she let Waverly work against her before grinding herself down and meeting Waverly’s motion. 

She moaned out unabashedly, Nicole’s name spilling out in praises as the redhead rode her from above. She had never felt anything like that, her slick heat combining with Nicole’s pushing her spiraling towards that familiar edge of release. She reached up and gripped Nicole’s ass, pulling her closer to her as both their movements became more erratic.

“Oh shit” Nicole choked out, the grip on Waverly’s thigh turning to steal, her eyes screwed shut in pleasure as her hips stopped moving. 

The feeling of Nicole practically vibrating, moaning as her body sputtered against her sent Waverly diving over the edge, gripping tightly to the redhead’s body as her own orgasm coursed through her.

“Damn.” Nicole exasperated as she collapsed against Waverly’s body, tucking her face into her neck as Waverly’s own chest heaved in an effort to catch her breath.

They lay there wrapped in one another, Waverly running her hand along the redhead’s spine and soaking in the moment they had shared as she lulled herself closer to sleep with the motion, eyes drifting as she felt Nicole pepper soft kisses against her neck. 

“God Waves, that was so good.” Nicole whispered, sitting up and looking down at Waverly who cracked her eyes back open. 

She pulled Nicole into a slow kiss, one laced with passion that left them both breathless once more. 

“Mmm” Waverly hummed against her lips as she pecked them once more. “Are you sleeping in the living room again?” She asked hesitantly, staring up at Nicole as she watched her struggle with the thought. 

“No” she finally said, relaxing back down into Waverly’s embrace. “Nothing is more important than being right here with you.” 

Waverly felt her heart swell as Nicole wrapped her body around hers once more. She could feel the redhead finally relax for the first time in days, her body going slack against her as her breathing evened out. She combed her hair, kissing the top of her head as she let herself drift off to sleep. 

——

Wynonna knocked on the hotel door, bouncing on her feet as she waited for it to open. 

She looked up as the door squeaked open, pushing it aside before she stalked into the room and flopped down on the bed. She grabbed the bottle of whiskey and took a long swig before she placed it back down and laid back against the pillow, closing her eyes and letting the warm liquid work through her. She felt the bed move as someone climbed in beside her. 

“He knows.” Wynonna huffed, taking another swig before passing the bottle over. “And Waverly is never going to forgive me for this.” 

She closed her eyes, pushing back her tears before she looked over. 

“What am I doing to do Dolls?”


	26. Authors Note

Happy Sunday everyone!!

First of all I’d like to say thank you for the love, all the kudos and comments are awesome and really encourage my writing. 

Anywho, we’re not far from the end here on World’s Collide. I’m not sure exactly how many more chapters I’ll have but if I had to estimate I’d say probably 10 at most? 

My question for you all will definitely effect how it ends. I always had an ending in my head but I’ve enjoyed writing this story so much that I have recently been thinking about making this into a series. So in other words I’ve got two endings in my head, one that ties all this together and it’s done or one that leaves it open for a part 2. Would that be something people are interested in or would you guys rather it wrap up? 

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!


	27. Chapter 27: A Day In The City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some questions are answered and others are asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realllllly love this chapter so I hope you guys will as well!!

Nicole squinted her eyes open, looking over at the other side of the room where Waverly stood at the window. She pulled up the blinds in one quick tug, letting the mid morning sun burst through them and straight onto Nicole’s face who lay stretched across the bed. 

“Ugh Waves...What are you doing?” she grumbled, squeezing her eyes shut and pulling the blanket over her head to seek reprieve from the brightness. She felt the bed dip beside her before Waverly’s body weight straddled her hips. 

“It's time to wake up baby.” She squeaked, pulling the covers off Nicole’s face slowly, the redhead squeezing her eyes tighter at the rays of sunlight threatening to blind her unadjusted vision. 

“Too bright.” Nicole whined in frustration, pulling the covers back over her face briefly before Waverly pulled them back down once more. 

“You’re so cute when your grumpy.” Waverly chuckled as she shooked Nicole’s chin, bending over her body and peppering her lips in soft kisses. 

“You’re really cute too” Nicole said, leaning into the brunette’s touch before playfully pushing her off and onto the other side of the bed. “When you’re not waking me up.” 

“Fine” Waverly said harshly, pushing against Nicole and sitting up on the other side of the bed before looking back down with a sly smirk. “That will be the last time I ever wake you up to come take a shower with me.”

With that Nicole popped open her eyes, looking across the bed as Waverly moved to stand up before reaching across and grabbingA the brunette by the wrist, dragging her back down and climbing on top of her much to her protest. 

Waverly struggled beneath her, pushing against her chest before realizing she was effectively pinned down and finally giving up, hair blowing up as she exhaled a ragged breath. 

“I thought you said it was too bright.” Waverly mocked sarcastically, pushing up against Nicole once more in frustration but to no avail as Nicole grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. 

She leaned down and kissed along Waverly’s jaw before staring down at the woman below her, who brandished a fake pout. 

“You’re cute when you pout.” She whispered, smiling as Waverly rolled her eyes in response. 

“Oh yeah now you want to be sweet after I mention the shower.” Waverly said, looking up at Nicole with fake harshness, eyes squinted low. 

“Exactly” Nicole agreed as she kissed along the exposed skin of her neck before looking down at the brunette. “You should have just lead with that to begin with.” 

Nicole suppressed a laugh as Waverly’s mouth went agape and she choked out a sound of disbelief, staring at Nicole with that conveyed so. 

“You know what?” she said through gritted teeth as her face hardened, pushing against Nicole with all her might as her hips bucked and arms pulled against her hands. 

Nicole laughed as she easily held down Waverly’s squirming body beneath her, finding more amusement as the frustration stemming from the other woman grew with every unsuccessful escape attempt. She contemplated keeping it going until Waverly gave out but her resolve slowly cracked while she watched her struggle. 

“I’m playing!” She exclaimed through breaths of laughter, feeling the brunette’s body relax slightly beneath her. “Baby I’m playing.” She said more serious this time as the other woman finally settled down completely. 

Waverly stared up at her with hard eyes, face scrunched in anger as she tried to fight a smile, finally breaking when Nicole started to obnoxiously kiss her cheeks over and over. 

Nicole looked to see a reluctant grin break across Waverly’s face, her eyes crinkling in the corners to show it as genuine. She peered down at her for a second, drinking in the warmth the woman spread through her body before pressing a longing kiss to her lips. 

“Good morning.” She whispered, releasing Waverly’s hands and melting into them as they wrapped around her neck. 

“Good morning” she returned, bringing their lips together once more. 

“So I was thinking.” Nicole offered, pulling back from the kiss.. “What do you think about going into the city today? Spending the day together, just the two of us.” 

A smile broke across Waverly’s face as she nodded her head vigorously. 

“Annnnd” Nicole continued, pausing for a moment as she worked up the courage to ask. “Maybe we can meet my aunt for dinner? She’s been dying to meet you. It’s okay if you don’t want to, I can tell her some other time would be better if you’d rather wait.”

Waverly pulled up and crashed her lips against Nicole’s, deepening it and enticing a whimper from her before pulling back and looking at her with soft honey brown eyes. 

“It would be an honor.” She said with a beaming smile. 

Nicole felt her heart swell as a dimpled grin broke across her face at the response. She had wanted to take Waverly to meet her aunt from the day of their first date but with everything that had been going on she had not had time. Plus she was nervous herself. She had never actually deemed anyone important enough to want to take the time to bring them home, until Waverly that is. 

“Great. I’ll give her a call and see when she’s free.” Nicole smiled, kissing along Waverly’s neck before stopping at her ear. 

“But first” she whispered seductively as she slipped off the bed and pulled a smiling Waverly along with her. “I think you mentioned something about a shower?” 

—-

Wynonna’s mind raced as she stared down at the picture on her phone. She had looked at it dozens of times since Bobo had sent it to her, double checking the validation of it because she was still in disbelief at how he’d managed to get his hands onto the piece of information in the first place. She had been so careful, overly careful if anything, and had taken every precaution necessary for years to keep it in the dark and somehow, someway Bobo had still got his filthy fucking hands on it. 

“I still can’t believe he knows.” Wynonna huffed, closing her eyes while she pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to make sense of her racing thoughts. 

“Hey it’s going to be okay Wynonna.” Dolls assured her as he ran his hand soothingly up and down her back. “He hasn’t told her yet so why would he now?” 

Wynonna leaned into the man’s side, relaxing a bit as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. 

“I told you. It’s because he wants me to meet his fucking demands. Keep my secrets in exchange for my services.” Wynonna gritted, anger rising in her at the reminder of Bobo’s phone call. “As per the usual he’s got this stupid hold on me that I just can’t seem to shake free from. I swear I’m going to kill this bastard before it’s all over with.” 

“And you still don’t know what he wants from you?” Dolls asked. 

“I told you” Wynonna exasperated as she shifted up and pulled out of Dolls’ reach, growing increasingly uncomfortable at his contact as she lied to him. “Just the usual shit he’s always wanted.”

She stood up from the bed and walked over to the window, staring out as she tried unsuccessfully to keep her nerves from bundling in her stomach. 

“Hey you’ve got all of us now.” Dolls said softly as he wrapped his arms around Wynonna’s waist. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” 

Wynonna laid her head back on his shoulder, closing her eyes while she tried to will herself to another life. She hated her situation, the lies she had already told and the secrets she had to continue to keep. As fucked up as it sounded, she’d give anything just go back to the way things were when she was running drugs, her two lives separated without a threat of blowing up together. 

“I hope you’re right.” She breathed out softly, wishing it more for herself than for anyone else. 

“So what do you want to do today?” Dolls asked, tone light as he changed the subject. “We’re off so we’ve got the whole day free. Got any Wynonna shenanigans we can get into today?” 

Wynonna chuckled softly before turning and wrapping her hands around Dolls’ neck and smiling up at him. 

“As much as I’d love to get into all kinds of Wynonna shenanigans with you.” She said with a smirk. “I’ve got to go take care of some things in the city.” 

“Anything I can help you with?” He asked excitedly, squeezing her tighter. 

Wynonna ran her hand along his face as she shook her head. She wished more than anything he could, being with the man almost made her forget everything else she had on her mind. 

Almost. 

“Unfortunately no. I’ve just got some personal errands to run.” She said reluctantly, Dolls’ face faltering with the rejection. “But I’ll be back later. How about we meet up then?” 

A smile creeped across his face as he nodded, Wynonna reaching up and kissing his cheek before moving passed him and walking out of the room. 

“Don’t forget the whiskey.” She called out before closing the door behind her, smile falling as the click of the door brought her back to her own reality. 

——

“Oh come on asshole!” Nicole yelled as the man cut her off, forgetting she wasn’t alone before she looked over sheepishly at Waverly in the passenger’s seat. “Sorry baby.” 

Waverly reached over and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers and giving it a light squeeze as she smiled and shook her head. 

“That road rage is going to get you in trouble one day.” Waverly warned. 

“Oh yeah?” Nicole looked over at Waverly with a flirty smile, raising her eyebrows. “Are you going to punish me?” 

Waverly smirked at her before leaning over the console and gripping the side of Nicole’s face. 

“I might just do that” she whispered seductively, making a shiver run up Nicole’s spine as she watched Waverly’s lips move before the woman pushed her face forward again. “But if you don’t watch this road, you’ll be living on the memory of that shower for a while.” 

Nicole grumbled as she stared back out the front windshield, side eyeing Waverly who pointed towards the road when she noticed Nicole looking at her.

The pair arrived at the parking garage across from the museum with traffic only causing a few more outburst along the way. Nicole pulled into a spot and parked the car before running around to open Waverly’s door, the brunette smiling at her repeated gesture as she took her hand and climbed out of the car. 

“You know I can open my own car down right?” She asked, taking Nicole’s hand as she lead them down the street towards their destination. Nicole’s aunt had excitedly accepted her dinner invitation and decided to meet them at six. With time to kill Waverly suggested they go to the Ancient History Museum in the city, a place Nicole had no interest in but after seeing how excited Waverly was about it, she couldn’t say no. Plus watching how giddy Waverly got at even the prospect of going, Nicole knew she’d be entertained by the brunette regardless. 

“I know that.” Nicole acknowledged as she pushed the buttons for the crosswalk. “But what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t open your door?” 

Nicole watched the expression on Waverly’s face change, one braced with a smile before she frowned at her own realization. 

“Well I don’t open your door.” She quipped as Nicole pulled her across the street. 

“Exactly. I have to at least be a better girlfriend than you are.” Nicole joked, chuckling as Waverly slapped her across the arm for her remark. 

“Hey I resent that.” Waverly scolded, breaking their hands apart as she ran ahead of Nicole towards the museum door, pulling it open as she got there and staring at Nicole with a look of expectancy when she stopped outside. “Well, what are you waiting for? I’m trying to be a good girlfriend here!” 

Nicole shook her head with a chuckle  
before walking through the door, Waverly latching back onto her as she caught up with her. They made their way to the admissions booth, Nicole arguing down Waverly for who gets to buy the tickets before they made their way into the lobby of the museum. 

Nicole watched Waverly take in the building around her, ceilings stretching tall with stained glass panels that painted the floor below them with help from the sun, architectural designs displaying the building’s age and telling a story of a time before them. She watched Waverly’s face glaze over in wonderment, pure joy etching through her features as her eyes danced excitedly around the large room, a bright smile stretching across her face. As much as Nicole didn’t care for the museum, she had been right about one thing. 

“This is beautiful isn’t it?” Waverly asked, attention still drawn to everything around her. 

“Definitely.” Nicole breathed out, heart pounding as Waverly captivated her. 

——

“Will you be home for dinner?” Gus asked as Wynonna helped her unload the groceries from the car. 

“I’m not sure, but probably not. You can save me a plate though. I can eat it when I get back.” Wynonna instructed, placing the groceries on the counter as Gus began to put them up. 

“You staying here again tonight?” Gus side eyed her. Wynonna knew Gus was suspicious about her sudden interest in staying at her house opposed to Waverly’s. The pair had never had a perfect relationship, Gus always trying to strap Wynonna down when all she wanted to do was run wild so she had learned a long time ago that limited visits with the woman kept them both in each other’s good graces which is why Wynonna typically stayed with Waverly. However she had opted out of that situation when the air at her younger sister’s place threatened to suffocate her. 

“Yes...if that’s alright.” Wynonna answered as she pulled the eggs from their bag and placed them in the fridge, trying to avoid the other woman’s questioning glare. 

“Of course it is. You can stay here whenever you want.” Gus quipped. “I just want to make sure everything’s ok with you and your sister.” 

Wynonna bunched up the grocery bags, stuffing them in one another before tossing them over to Gus. 

“You know you don’t have to keep every single bag you get. You’ve probably already got enough as it is” She joked, trying her best to avoid the subject Gus seemed determined to talk about. 

Gus stared at Wynonna for a moment, picking up on the woman’s demeanor before deciding to change the subject. 

“So what are you going into the city for?” She questioned. 

“I’ve just got to meet up with an old friend.” Wynonna answered, pulling on her jacket before grabbing her helmet. 

Gus walked over and pulled Wynonna in a hug, making her hesitate before returning the gesture. 

“Thank you for coming back.” She offered before pulling back and looking at her. “You know we’re all so grateful you’re here. 

Wynonna felt tears come to her eyes, a lump forming in her throat as she tried to swallow her insurmountable guilt. 

She gave a curt nod, fearful her words may crack and tell the secret she was drowning in if she tried to speak before walking out the front door. She stalked over to her bike, wiping the tears from her eyes as she collected herself. She climbed up and pulled her phone out before unlocking it and dialing the rare phone number, her heart beat picking up speed with every passing ring. 

“Hello?” A voice answered. 

“Hey it’s me. Look, we need to meet up.”

“What for?” The person questioned. 

“We just need to meet up. There’s some things I need to talk to you about.” Wynonna continued, her irritation growing at the argument. 

“I mean I’m kind of busy today. You can’t just call me out of the blue and ex-“ the person tried before Wynonna cut them off. 

“It’s about Waverly.” Wynonna said sternly, unwilling to explain herself any further. She waited, a long silence coming from the other end before the person finally spoke up. 

“I’ll meet you at 8.” 

——

Nicole let Waverly drag her all through the museum, the woman rambling off random facts about every display they’d come across. She knew Waverly loved history, something she had learned early on in their relationship but nothing could prepare her for seeing it first hand. She couldn’t complain though, watching Waverly bounce up and down as she proudly told her mounds of information had only made her fall even more in love with the girl, if that was possible, which is why she found herself happily sat back on a bench in front of a Mayan civilization display, watching Waverly pace back and forth while she excitedly spouted off an entire history lesson. 

Nicole stared up at Waverly, chuckling lightly as the woman stopped mid sentence and changed her train of thought for at least the fifth time in the last ten minutes. 

“I’m sorry baby” Waverly apologized, a blush staining her cheeks in embarrassment. “I’m probably boring you to death. We should have chosen somewhere else to go.” 

Nicole grabbed Waverly’s hand and pulled her over, wrapping her arms around her as the brunette sat down in her lap. 

“Hey this has been great.” Nicole assured her, planting a kiss to her temple and making Waverly relax in her arms. “I’ve had the best time here with you.” 

“You’re just saying that” Waverly rolled her eyes. 

“I swear.” Nicole pulled Waverly closer to her, wrapping her tighter as she turned to look at her more seriously. “I never knew I could be so interested in History.” 

“Really?” Waverly asked surprisingly. 

“Really.” Nicole echoed, planting a soft kiss on lips. “Plus it doesn’t hurt that my teacher is extremely sexy.” She smirked as she kissed down Waverly’s neck. 

“Okay casanova. There are children here” Waverly joked as she pushed away from Nicole’s working mouth, making her pout at the distance. “What time do we have to meet your aunt?” 

“Six” Nicole answered. 

Waverly checking her watch before standing up and grabbing her hand, pulling Nicole up and dragging her across the hallway. 

“Perfect. We’ve got another hour before we have to leave so that’s time for at least two more displays.” 

Nicole happily followed Waverly as she came to stop in front of an Aztec display. 

“God I didn’t know they let people like you in here.” Someone called out, catching Nicole’s attention as a smile broke across in recognition. Waverly looked up at her curiously before she turned around and accepted the bear hug the man was offering, patting him on the back as he squeezed her entirely too tight. 

“Haught Damn!” He exclaimed as he put her back down. “God it’s been like two years since I’ve seen you. Where the hell have you been?” 

“Shit you know, just working. The usual. How have you been? How’s the wife and kid?” She answered. 

“They are great. Tommy is getting so big. You probably wouldn’t even recognize him.” He explained, excitement radiating off of him. “I’ve been good, really good actually. I’m still working down at the station, finally got specialized so I’m off road patrol which I’m so grateful for. What the hell brings you around here? I thought you were off traveling the country and what not.” 

“I was but they’ve actually got me stationed in a little town not far from here. I just came to the city today to come to the museum.” Remembering the other woman standing beside her she shook her head and placed her hand on Waverly’s back,moving to the side to make room for the brunette. “I’m so sorry, where are my manners? Waverly this is Mike, my old partner from when I worked on the force here.” She gestured between the two of them. “Mike this is my girlfriend Waverly.”

Nicole watched as Mike’s large hand gripped Waverly’s in a hand shake, the woman giving her usual charming smile to the man who offered one back. 

“Nice to meet you Waverly. Haught with a girlfriend? How did you manage that?” He laughed. 

“He’s joking.” Nicole defended, shaking her head as she rubbed her hand along Waverly’s lower back. “So Mike, how are things down at the station?”

“They are good, not much has changed.” He said before looking up with wide eyes. “Oh yeah I forgot to tell you, Detective O’Hare is finally retiring. About time too, that man is about as ancient as the artifacts in here.”

“Yeah it’s about time. Did he ever learn how to use that computer he banged on all day?” Nicole asked with a chuckled, recalling the hundreds of times she had to stop him from breaking the device with his fist when they worked together. 

“Definitely not.” Mike said with a shake of his head. “Anyways they’ll be hiring for that position soon. Hey, maybe you should go for it. Chief talks about you all the time, I’m sure he would welcome you back with open arms.”

“I don’t know.” Nicole said unsurely. “I mean I’ve got a pretty sweet gig at my current job I think.”

“Well before they decide to ship you off to of knows where next, you should give it some thought.”

Nicole could feel Waverly tense under her hand at the subject, something neither had brought up but one that laid on both their minds pretty frequently. What would happen when Nicole’s job in Purgatory was done? 

“Maybe” Nicole said, tugging Waverly more into her side. 

“Well I’ve got to get going, the wife is waiting on me in the car but it was great seeing you Haught.” He said, pulling Nicole into another hug. “And it was wonderful meeting you Waverly.”

“You as well.” The brunette offered, smile faltering as she watching him go. She paused for a moment in contemplation, like she wanted to say something before she looked up to Nicole with a smile. “Ready to learn about some Aztecs?” 

—-

They finished with the museum, Waverly teaching Nicole about the ancient Aztecs with much less spunk than she previously had. She glanced over to Waverly wearily as the woman stared out the passenger’s window quietly. She knew Mike’s comments about her leaving were weighing on her brain, the tense atmosphere of the quiet car as they drove to the restaurant told the story of a conversation they had been so desperately avoiding. To tell the truth, Nicole had thought about it a lot. She loved her job, it was something that kept her moving and offered her an insight to places all over the country but that was before Waverly, before she found someone who made her want to stick around. If Waverly asked her to, she’d drop her job immediately and take a boring deputy job at the Purgatory Sheriff’s Department and stay there for the rest of her life...but only if Waverly asked her to, which she had not. 

She pulled into a parking spot of the Mexican restaurant before turning to sit sideways in her seat, reaching over and grabbing Waverly’s hand out of her lap.

“Hey” she said softly, drawing the woman’s attention towards her. “What Mike said- I know it's a touchy subject but whatever happens, everything will be okay.”

Waverly offered her a small smile before looking down at their joined hands, tracing small circles along Nicole’s knuckles. 

“How do you know?” She asked quietly, the situation obviously laying heavily on her conscious. 

“Well you love me don’t you?” Nicole asked, Waverly popping her head up and giving her a concerned look, eyebrows knitted in confusion. 

“Of course I do.”

“And I love you.” Nicole assured her, bringing her hand to her mouth and kissing her knuckles. “I know it sounds cliche and maybe it is, but nothing, no amount of distance, no crazy sister shooting me, could ever pull me away from you.” 

Nicole watched as relief flooded over the woman, like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She knew Waverly was scared she’d leave her but even if her job did station her across the country, she’d always be whatever Waverly needed, wherever she had to do it from. 

“You’re such a sap” Waverly joked, sniffling as she blinked back watery eyes.

Nicole gave a breathy laugh before leaning over and connecting their lips, Waverly pulling her down and deepening the kiss. 

“Better?” Nicole asked. 

“Better.” Waverly smiled. 

“Alright. Now let’s go let my aunt interrogate you for a little while shall we?” 

——

“And this is Nicole when she was eight. She wanted so badly to be a cowboy for Halloween but her parents insisted she be a princess so when she came to my house I made sure we dressed up just how she wanted, Stetson and all.” The older woman explained, handing the picture over to Waverly who took it with a smile. 

“Aunt Rita did you have to bring the pictures?” Nicole whined, a blush creeping up her features at the tall, lanky kid in the photo. 

“Oh come on Nicole.” Waverly awed, knocking her knee against hers and brushing her cheek lightly with her thumb. “You were so cute in your little blue jeans and belt buckle.”

Nicole groaned as she hid her face in her hands. 

“Yeah Nicky you were so cute.” Her aunt agreed, pulling out another picture and handing it over to Waverly who snorted at the image. “Plus it’s not like you’ve ever brought anyone else over to meet me. Let me have a little fun.” 

Nicole popped her head up and stared at her aunt before looking over reluctantly at Waverly who wore a smug grin at the comment. 

“I’ve brought people over to meet you before Aunt Rita.” Nicole defended. 

“Honey the parade of girls you use to filter in and out of my house at night when you were in college doesn’t count.” She said innocently. 

Nicole choked on a breath, Waverly laughing beside her as the redhead stumbled for the right words. 

“Th-there’s wasn’t a parade of girls.” She looked over sternly, trying to get her aunt to knock it off but she was clearly enjoying making her squirm. 

“Okay maybe not a parade.” She corrected herself, a sly smile creeping across her face. “It was more like a small rally or a march of something.”

“Ohmygod” Nicole rushed out, burying her head in her hands once more as her face turned beet red. She felt Waverly rubbing her hand up and down her back, peeking out and watching as the woman tried to cover a laugh. 

“Don’t encourage her.” Nicole groaned. 

“Oh come on Nicky.” Her aunt called out. “We’re just having a little fun.”

“Yeah Nicky.” Waverly chuckled. “It's just a little fun.”

Nicole dropped her arms, looking over at Waverly where she sat with a mischievous, but innocent grin. 

“Have fun walking home tonight.” Nicole grumbled as the two women finally broke out in cackles. 

The trio sat and ate as Aunt Rita asked questions about Waverly, Nicole relieved that the attention was finally off her. She smiled as she watched Waverly’s charm work it’s magic on the older woman, her face telling how much she liked her which Nicole appreciated. She didn’t have much family, well none outside of her aunt and she wanted her to love Waverly like she did, to see the endless things in the woman that made her so special. 

They finished up their meal before Nicole paid and they made their way to the front of the restaurant. 

“It was so nice to meet you Waverly. Thank you so much for finally getting this one to bring someone over.” Aunt Rita said as she gestured to Nicole before pulling Waverly in for a hug. 

“Of course Aunt Rita. It was so nice to finally meet you as well.” Waverly offered back, tugging on the woman just as hard before letting her go. 

Nicole leaned down and wrapped her arms around her aunt, holding the hug as the older woman pulled her further down to whisper in her ear.

“That’s a good one you got there kid. Don’t screw it up.” She instructed with a pat on her back.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Nicole replied before giving one last squeeze and pulling away. 

“Well you two be safe getting home. Call me when you make it there.” She waved as she walked out the door. 

“Bye” the pair called out to her. 

Nicole turned towards Waverly who beamed up at her. 

“Ready baby?”

“I will be after I use the restroom.” Nicole replied, handing the keys over to Waverly. “Want to go get the car warmed up for us?” 

Waverly nodded before walking out the door, Nicole turning and heading towards the restroom. She pulled open the door as someone pushed against it on the other side and ran right into her. 

“Oof. I’m so sorry” Nicole apologized, catching the woman and straightening her back up before looking at her. She felt a sense of recognition ping her as she stared at the woman, her mind working to place her face to where she may know her from. 

“Hey do I know you?” She asked quizzically. 

“I don’t think so. Sorry I’ve got to go.” The woman said quickly, ducking down and pushing passed Nicole who stood and watched the woman move before carrying on with her business. 

She walked to the car, brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to make sense of the odd interaction she’d just had. She climbed in the car, zoned out with trying to figure out who she’d just seen as she absentmindedly stared out the window. 

“Babe” Waverly said, her voice breaking Nicole’s concentration. “You alright there?”

Nicole shook her head, freeing herself of the daze. 

“Yeah sorry, I could have sworn I just saw somebody I know.” 

“Hmmm” Waverly thought for a second, before smirking at Nicole. “Maybe it was one of your many college conquest.” 

Nicole rolled her eyes half heartedly, mind still focused on the other woman as Waverly leaned over the seat and rubbed on her thigh. 

“How about you get me home? We can even sneak through the house like you use to.” Waverly cooed. 

Nicole felt a heat rise in her chest as Waverly’s fingers crawling up her leg drew her attention fully to her. 

“Okay but you’re going to have to be quiet.” Nicole played along as Waverly nipped her ear. 

“Never.”

———

“Hi welcome to Cantina’s Mexican Cuisine. How many in your party?” The hostess cheerily greeted. 

“What?” Wynonna questioned as she looked around the restaurant. “Oh sorry, I’m actually meeting someone here.” 

“What’s the name? Maybe I-“ 

“Nope” Wynonna held up her hand as she spotted the familiar figure she’d never get used to seeing. “I see them, thanks.” 

She brushed by the hostess as she eyeballed the table in the corner, looking around in paranoia as she quickly made her way over before sliding into the empty booth. 

“Wynonna”

She brushed off her jacket before looking up and meeting eyes that matched her own. 

“How you been Willa?”


	28. Chapter 28: A Made Decision.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wynonna has a meeting and makes a decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO SORRY for the lapse in update guys. I hit a major spout of writer’s block and had to work through it. Good news is I think it’s gone so I should be good to go from here on out. Also I began working on my next fix and the first chapter will be uploaded soon!!

“What do you mean he knows?” Willa asked, face ghost white and eyes wide with shock as Wynonna rolled her eyes. 

“What are you not understanding?” Wynonna asked, growing impatient with her sister. “I’ve said it twice, Bobo knows you’re alive.” 

“Wha..How?” Willa fumbled. “That can't be possible.”

“Well I guess it is because he does.” Wynonna sighed, taking a long sip of her beer before she continued. “And if the picture he sent me of us is any indication, he’s known for a while.” 

“I just don’t understand. I mean we’ve been so careful, I’ve been so careful.” Willa scrambled, trying to make sense of what Wynonna was telling her. “I’ve literally lived in reclusion like a fucking hermit for years. I barely come out of my house. The only person that knows is..” 

Wynonna gave her a puzzled look, Willa’s voice trailing off as she stared at Wynonna incredulously. 

“Oh don’t give me that shit Willa.” Wynonna scoffed as she realized what her sister was implying. “I didn’t fucking tell him.” 

“And how do I know that?” Willa asked, eying Wynonna suspiciously. “I mean you are the only person that knows about me, not to mention how close you are to Bobo.”

Wynonna gritted her teeth, pushing down the anger she felt rising in her chest at Willa’s accusations. She had never had the best relationship with her sibling even she was “alive” but they had definitely grown astray from one another ever since Willa resurfaced all those years ago. 

“Fuck you.” 

Wynonna slid across the booth, moving to get up when Willa grabbed her hand and stopped her, eyes desperate as she silently pleaded for Wynonna to stay. 

“I’m sorry.” Willa apologized as Wynonna put her coat back down and settled back into the booth, eyes turning expectantly towards her sister. “I’m just confused by how this happened. I’m sorry.” 

Wynonna brushed off Willa’s hand, picking her beer back up and finishing it off as she worked to calm herself down. 

“You said you think he’s known for a while?” Willa inquired, eyes darting around as she tried to get the conversation back on track. 

“I don’t know for sure, but the picture he emailed to me is of you and me meeting last year on your birthday so he’s known at least since then.” Wynonna explained, her own confusion playing on her face as she tried to make sense of the matter herself. Willa was right, the pair had been extremely careful at hiding the woman from the rest of the world. Willa had changed her name and stayed completely off the radar over the years, Wynonna supplying her money so she didn’t even have to work. In fact she was right to say Wynonna was the only person who even knew her oldest sister was alive because she had to have been, well at least she thought so. 

“So what are we going to do? This isn’t good Wynonna, we have to do something.” Willa panicked, voice growing an octave as she began to fiddle nervously with her hands. “You know better than anyone how crazy Bobo is, I mean he killed our parents and tried to kill me. If he gets his hands on me, he might- there’s no telling what he will do.” 

Wynonna placed her hands over Willa’s, stilling them as she looked at her with sympathetic eyes. She hadn’t been the best sister and they didn’t have the best relationship but she was still Wynonna’s family, one of the last members remaining and she had always felt a sense of loyalty to any Earp, no matter how awful they may be because she knew how hard it was to be one. She knew what being an Earp could do to someone, the weight one must carry with a name like that. Especially one of Ward’s. 

“It’s going to be okay.” Wynonna assured her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before pulling back. “But we’re going to have to tell Waverly.” 

Willa snatched her hands away and shook her head admittedly as she waved Wynonna off. 

“No we’re not doing that. We can’t involve her Wynonna, it’s too dangerous. We agreed on that.” 

“I know but she’s already involved, much deeper than you think.” Wynonna tried to explain as Willa continued to shake her head in disagreement. “Look, we don’t have a choice. We can tell her and she can help us finish off Bobo for good. We can actually go back to living a normal life, all of us together.” 

“Pfff” Willa scoffed, a hollow laughter escaping her throat as she looked away from Wynonna. “Even if things were normal, that would never happen. It would never be all three of us together. We’re not exactly one big happy family Wynonna, don’t kid yourself.” 

“What’s the suppose it mean?” Wynonna said defensively. 

“It means that you and Waverly might live normal lives together.” Willa spit as she turned her hardened gaze back to Wynonna, her jaw clenching when their youngest sister’s name rolled off her tongue. “But I would never be included in that. It would be just the two of you like it’s always been, with me looking from the outside in. You’ve always cared more about her everyone has. I mean look at what you’re willing to do to me just to keep her from being mad at you.” 

“That’s not true.” Wynonna rolled her eyes, anger rising as she fought to defend herself. “You made yourself an outsider when we were younger, we didn’t do that to you. Plus, what do you think I’ve been doing over the past few years Willa? Sitting around having sisterly tea parties without you?” Wynonna answered her own question, her eyes burning as she fought back tears piqued from anger. “Because I haven’t. I’ve barely seen Waverly since you died. I’ve been too busy carrying the family load on my shoulders by myself while you hid out in seclusion, keeping the heat off of the both of you.” 

“What was I supposed to do Wynonna?” Willa questioned, her own anger matching that of her sister’s. “Walk up to Bobo and say hey remember me? The person you thought you killed all those years ago? Surprise, you had the wrong girl because here I am.”

Wynonna sat silently for a moment, calming herself to prevent the shouting match that was brewing. She knew Willa couldn’t have done that, they had decided together to keep her in the dark but it hadn’t made it any easier when Wynonna ended up handling everything by herself, when she had to keep herself away from both of her sisters for years while she did the devil’s work. All she had ever wanted was to keep them all safe and keep them all together but no matter how hard she fought, she could never seem to have both. Years of living in her own personal hell never amounting to anything. 

“I’m telling-“ Wynonna tried before Willa cut her off. 

“She’ll never forgive you Wynonna. You’ve kept her sister away from her for years, let her believe I was dead. She won’t get over that.” Willa said desperately, clinging to anything that may alter Wynonna’s train of thought. 

“Maybe she won’t.” Wynonna agreed as she played with her own hands, reflecting on the truth she knew Willa was speaking. “But all I’ve done for years is disappoint her, kept both her sister’s away from her and I’m not doing anymore. The things Bobo has had me do- what he wants me to do.” She tried as her voice broke. “I’ve made mistake after mistake throughout my life and I’m done playing the bad guy for this family. Its hurt me and it’s hurt her, that’s just not something I’m willing to do anymore. I’m telling her and that’s final.”

With that Wynonna slid out of the booth, walking out of the restaurant and leaving a protesting Willa behind her. She let her emotions pour down her face as she pulled her on her helmet and climbed on her bike, stopping and taking a deep breath as she tried to calm her nerves. Waverly may never forgive her for the secrets she’d kept from her, from the things that she’d done but she couldn’t continue the charade she had been playing, especially if that meant turning over Nicole. 

——

“Baby” Nicole breathed out as Waverly kissed down her neck, the warmth of her mouth against her sensitive skin pulling her deeper into the haze Waverly had put her in since she had climbed over into the driver’s seat and straddled her when they pulled up to Waverly’s apartment. “Are we going to go inside?” 

Waverly kissed her way back up Nicole’s neck and pulled back slightly, smiling at her as she connected their lips once more and rolled her hips into Nicole’s lap. A groan escaped her throat at the contact, gripping Waverly’s ass and encouraging her movement as the brunette’s tongue swirled into her mouth. She blindly chased Waverly’s mouth when the brunette pulled back, Nicole opening her eyes as Waverly smirked down at her. 

“You aren’t enjoying yourself Detective?” Waverly asked slyly as she twirled the hair at the nape of Nicole’s neck between her fingers. 

“I’m definitely enjoying myself, which is why I want to go inside.” Nicole answered, moving her hands to grip at Waverly’s thighs. “So I can enjoy myself...and you a little more.”

“Ooor you could enjoy me right here.” Waverly countered as she pushed herself further into Nicole to prove her point, the redhead’s hands slipping further up her thighs as she rolled her body. 

Nicole felt her body heat as she stared at Waverly for a moment, the brunette reconnecting their mouths in a frenzy as she scraped her nails along Nicole’s scalp and pulled her closer. Nicole felt her chest heave against Waverly’s, the pair flush against one another as the urgency around them developed into something quicker. She trailed her hands up Waverly’s skirt and under the fabric, a heat radiating from the brunette and warming her hands as she moved further up the soft skin of her thighs. She felt cotton material, running her finger over the front of the garment as Waverly broke the kiss with a groan, throwing her head back and knocking it hard against the roof of the car. 

“Shiiiit” Waverly hissed, her hand going to grip at the back of her head as Nicole reached to do the same. 

“Are you okay?!” Nicole asked concerned as she moved Waverly’s hand away and began to rub the small knot forming on her scalp with her own. 

Waverly groaned as she dropped her head to Nicole’s shoulder, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she tried to hide her embarrassment. 

“What was that?” Nicole inquired, continuing to rub Waverly’s scalp as the brunette muffled something she couldn't quite make out into her neck. 

“I said maybe it is easier to enjoy each other inside.” Waverly said with a pout, wrapping her arms around Nicole and snuggling further into her as the redhead tried to stifle a laugh.

“Come on.” Nicole chuckled, planting a kiss to the side of Waverly’s head before opening the car door for them to get out. “Let’s get you inside and get you something for that bump.” 

The pair made their way to the front door of Waverly’s apartment, the brunette unlocking it before she strolled inside. Nicole followed behind her and flicked on the lights, Waverly plopping down onto a barstool with a sulking look as Nicole locked the door behind her before walking into the kitchen and pulling down the whiskey and two glasses. She poured a finger of the brown liquid into both before she turned and carried the drinks over to Waverly, handing the brunette one before leaning against the counter with her own. She smiled as she watched the other woman down her whiskey quickly, not even flinching as she swallowed it all down. Nicole finished her own off with a small wince before she reached behind her and grabbed the bottle once more, pouring them both another round. 

“Feel better?” Nicole inquired as Waverly sat her empty glass back down on the counter. 

“Not as good as I would be feeling if we didn’t have to stop in the car.” She pouted. “Sorry for ruining the moment.”

Nicole chuckled as she walked around the counter, wrapping her arms around Waverly in a hug as she kissed the top of her head where a small knot had formed. 

“Ahh baby, you could never ruin any moment.” She offered as Waverly wrapped herself around Nicole’s body. 

“Really?” Waverly asked as she squeezed Nicole closer. 

“Really” Nicole continued, smiling to herself. “In fact, concussions are my number one turn on.”

Waverly huffed as she pushed Nicole off of her, the redhead barking out a laugh as she let the smaller woman smack her in the arm. 

“That’s not funny you ass.” Waverly scolded, crossing her arms over her chest like a child in a way that Nicole found absolutely adorable. 

She continued to chuckle lightly as she walked over to Waverly and enveloped her in a hug once more, the brunette keeping her arms crossed as she refused the affection. 

“I’m just playing” Nicole assured her with a smile, Waverly side eying her. “You’re my number one turn on all the time.” She whispered before planting a kiss behind Waverly’s ear, the brunette relaxing in her hold as she kissed down her neck before working back up to her ear. “Concussed or not.”

She felt Waverly finally break her stiff holdout as she chuckled lightly and wrapped her arms around Nicole’s neck, pulling her head back and connecting their lips in a sweet, soft kiss. 

“You drive me crazy Nicole Haught.” She said with a smile, Nicole’s heart skipping at the endearment in Waverly’s eyes. 

“Mmmm” Nicole hummed into Waverly’s mouth as she played with her hair. “Better hold on tight then.” 

Waverly shook her head with a smile as Nicole reconnected their lips, deepening the kiss to match the feeling blooming in her chest. 

“Hey you know what we should do?” Nicole offered as she pulled back, breathing slow and shallow from the intimacy of the moment. 

“More of this?” Waverly answered, eyes screwed shut as she pulled Nicole back down to her once more, pulling at her bottom lip with her teeth. 

“Well obviously.” Nicole agreed with a nod of her head, pecking Waverly’s lips lightly. “But besides more of this?” 

“I can think of a lot of things we should do that go along with more of this.” Waverly offered as her hands trailed down the front of Nicole’s shirt, sending a shiver through her body at the contact and almost making her forget her idea. 

“No, not that.” Nicole shook her head free of the thoughts growing in her head as Waverly dipped a finger along the waistline of her pants. “We should build a bonfire.” 

Waverly’s hand stilled on her hip as she looked up at Nicole with furrowed brows, confusion etched in her features. 

“A bonfire? Where did that come from?” 

Nicole leaned down to trail soft kisses along Waverly’s neck. 

“Well I saw a picture of you and Wynonna the other day. The one on your mantle.” She clarified. “You guys were standing in front of a bonfire, smiling. You just looked really happy. I thought it would be cool to build one, maybe invite Wynonna over so we could all hang out?” 

Nicole paused her ministrations along Waverly’s neck as she waited for the brunette to answer. Doubt began to blossom in her chest with the growing silence as she pondered whether she had crossed a line or not, she had assumed the memory was a happy one but maybe she was wrong. She pulled back and looked down at Waverly, hazel eyes glistening slightly and affirming her worries. 

“I-I’m sorry Waves.” She stammered out, trying to backtrack her words. “It was a dumb idea. We don’t have to-“ 

Waverly cut her off by crashing their lips together, her hands cupping Nicole’s cheeks as she pulled her closer and into a searing kiss, drawing a whimper from the redhead. 

“I would love that.” Waverly smiled breathlessly. 

“You seem upset, are you sure?” Nicole asked shakily, worried that Waverly was just saying that so she wouldn’t feel bad about the suggestion. “Because we don’t have to. I just thought it might be fun.”

Waverly nodded her head and brought their mouths together once more. 

“Baby I’m sure. I just love you so much sometimes that it takes me back a little bit.” She agreed with a quick kiss, pushing Nicole back as she stood up from the chair. “Let’s do it. I’ll call Wynonna.” 

Nicole smiled, dimples popping as she watched a gleeful Waverly reach for her phone. 

“Well alright then, let’s do it.” 

—-

Wynonna sat across from Dolls at Shorty’s as she downed a shot of whiskey, slamming the glass back onto the table top as she called for another. 

“You might want to slow down there.” Dolls offered, retreating back into his seat as Wynonna shot daggers at him. 

“You might want to mind your own fucking business.” She spat, Dolls eyes widening at the outburst. 

Wynonna softened as she watched Dolls face flash with hurt. She reached across the table and grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers as she caught his eyes. 

“I’m sorry. I’m just stressed out.” Wynonna apologized sincerely, relaxing when the hurt retreated from Dolls’s eyes and he nodded in understanding. 

“When are you going to tell her?” He inquired as the waitress brought another round to their table, Wynonna pulling her hand from the man’s at the presence of another person.

“I don’t know. It’s got to be soon though.” Wynonna said as she downed another shot. “Bobo will only wait so long. I’ve got to tell her before he tells her himself” 

“She’ll understand Wynonna. Waverly is a smart girl” Dolls tried to reassure her. 

“I just hope you’re right about that.” Wynonna tried to find solace in his words, even if she didn’t believe them. A buzzing in her pocket broke her from her own thoughts as she reached down to retrieve her phone. 

“Speak of the devil.” Wynonna quipped as she shook the phone at Dolls, Waverly’s picture plastered on the screen. 

“Hey babygirl” Wynonna answered, bringing the phone up to her ear. “What are you up to?” 

Wynonna listened to Waverly as she explained Nicole’s plan for a bonfire, hope growing within her at the idea of the pair inviting her over for what use to be such a long standing Earp tradition. After everything that had happened, everything Wynonna has done, Waverly still wanted her around. Maybe Dolls was right, maybe everything actually would turn out okay. 

“That sounds good. I actually need to talk to you about something anyways.” Wynonna said, pausing as she listened to Waverly retort. “No don’t worry, everything is fine. Nicole can stay, I actually need to talk to both of you guys. I’ll be over in a few.”

Wynonna ended the call and stuffed her phone back into her pocket before turning back to Dolls.

“Well I guess it’s now or never.” She said, uncertainty laced in her voice as she began to gather her coat. 

“Do you want me to come with you?” Dolls questioned. 

“Yeah because that’ll make this easier” Wynonna scoffed sarcastically. “Hey Waves, your sister’s not dead. Also, Red i've been sleeping with your partner for the past month. Could you imagine?” She climbed out of the booth and planted a quick kiss to the top of Dolls’s head. “Let’s take this one secret at a time shall we? I need to do this one by myself.” 

She tossed her jacket on as she pushed out of doors of Shorty’s, the crisp night air plowing into her as she turned to walk towards Waverly’s apartment. Wynonna could feel her anxiety growing as she grew closer, rubbing her hands together to try and release some of the pent up energy that was coursing through her body. She pushed through the gate to Waverly’s backyard, stopping and smiling as the backyard came into view. 

The fire was blazing tall and illuminating everything around it, soft music playing from somewhere. The couple was perched on a chair by the flames, Waverly sitting in Nicole’s lap with the redhead’s arms wrapped snugly around her middle. She peered down at Nicole, throwing her head back in laughter as the woman told her a story. Waverly’s eyes gleamed in the firelight with a joy Wynonna couldn’t recall ever seeing before, pure elation sketched across all her features. She stood there in the shadows and watched Waverly, the brunette smiling wide and staring at Nicole in amazement, like something she’d never seen before. Waverly was truly happy, a happiness very rarely granted to an Earp, and in that moment Wynonna knew she was making the right decision. She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t thought selfishly when she was first met with Bobo’s ultimatum, that she hadn’t briefly thought of turning Nicole over to the man to save her own secret. She had quickly brushed the thought away, knowing that her sister would definitely never forgive her for that but watching Waverly with the woman now she felt a different sense of reservation about it. She had made the decision not to turn Nicole over with her own selfishness in mind, a fear of losing Waverly loaming over her and affecting her decision. However seeing how happy Waverly was, she knew there was nothing that could make her give up Nicole. She knew for certainty she was making the right choice, not matter the repercussions. 

Wynonna moved to walk around the house when her phone buzzed once more. She reached into her pocket, pulling her phone out to reveal a message from an unknown number. She unlocked her phone and opened the message, her stomach dropping as she read over the text. 

-Since you seem to be taking your time with the task I gave you, I thought you might need some more motivation.-

Wynonna felt panic began to rise as another message came through, a picture containing Willa tied and gagged with Bobo in the background smiling stared back at her as another message followed. 

-Did you really think I couldn’t get my hands on her? I would have thought you’d learn not to underestimate me by now. You’ve got 24hrs to bring me that detective or I’m going to mail your sister’s head to you in a box. It’s Willa or the redhead. Times ticking Wynonna.-

Wynonna’s phone went black, the screen blinking back on and off before dying completely. She stared blankly at the now useless device, trying to process what had just happened. Bobo had Willa, images of her sister’s frightened eyes cemented in her brain as she tried to blink them away. Her chest heaved as the world closed in around her. She felt herself moving backwards, her feet fumbling beneath her as she retreated away from Waverly’s house. Her body began to move faster, panic pumping her feet to move into a sprint with no location in mind. She wasn’t sure what she needed to do, her whole plan blown up in minutes. All she knew is she had to get away so she ran until she felt she couldn’t anymore, carrying her into the darkness beyond Purgatory’s street lights until the town sat far behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this is good, definitely not my best writing.


End file.
